Wednesday 23 March 2011

Of lunar madness, sultry nights and crinkly voices

 
DEAR MOONLIT NIGHT ,

Well, technically speaking its not really a moonlit night, since it isnt a full moon....and yet your magic is as grand and as subtle as ever . what it is about you that wreaks havoc on mundane hearts and minds ?
That something...that elusive quality i cannot put my finger on, that unsettles me so much ?
This combination of a night rendered even more thirsty and sultry after a hint of rain with the faint smell of wet soil and freshly washed linen..... 

You see......that is what i am supposed to be doing . Hanging clothes. I have always liked to dry the clothes out on the line at night , some weird notion of saving their colours from the glare of the sun . 
And here i sit.....crushing a shirt between my fingers , staring at the moon . I suppose it looks the same everywhere .
Even far far across the pacific.....or the other side of the globe , where a pair of blue eyes have forgotten to look up and stare at it.
Why does the sight of watching it getting enveloped by a black cloud render me speechless.....like mirroring a shy woman hiding her face in the warm expanse of a chest.....? 

See ?
It is this. This is what i am talking about . This mind boggling power you wield over us lesser mortals........just when we think, we have mastered it all and get back to doing what we ought to be doing.......like hanging laundry or writing grocery lists......let down our guard and wham.......before we know, one look at the moon......the chemistry of a wordless night and strange buried yearnings and an ordinary soul transforms into a dreaming fool wishing on shooting stars and angels and listening to songs that remind them of crinkly voices ........

i suppose i ought to finish hanging the clothes...hmmm ?

6 comments:

  1. Ahhh, Sonny, the moon can affect us in the most unexpected ways, can it not? I had a friend who always quoted to me Robert Graves' poem as he, like the poet, disliked the moon:

    I Hate the Moon

    I hate the Moon, though it makes most people glad,
    And they giggle and talk of silvery beams – you know!
    But she says the look of the Moon drives people mad,
    And that’s the thing that always frightens me so.

    I hate it worst when it’s cruel and round and bright,
    And you can’t make out the marks on its stupid face,
    Except when you shut your eyelashes, and all night
    The sky looks green, and the world’s a horrible place.

    I like the stars, and especially the Big Bear
    And the W star, and one like a diamond ring,
    But I hate the Moon and its horrible stony stare,
    And I know some day it’ll do me some dreadful thing.
    Robert Graves (1895-1985)

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  2. pity they didn't have oprah in those days ....would've been therapy enough....grins

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  3. ah i am a slave to the moons pull, i look at it an think of who is looking back, and linens on the ine make me think of running through them, laughing, unable to see what is on the other side...i get you...

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  4. Last weekend's moon was the perfect example, but I know what you mean. If you take the time to actually look at the moon, no matter was phase it is in, it sucks you in like water to a sponge.

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  5. First, I love love love your photo! And now I cannot get the R.E.M. song "Gardening at Night" out of my head. Thanks for the earworm, Sonny. Have a fabulous Sonny day!

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  6. My wife used to teach art and she said she could always tell when it was a full moon from how the kids were acting... strange. :)

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