“Late in the night we enjoy a misty moon.
There is nothing misty about the bond between
us.”
~ Murasaki Shikibu, The Tale of Genji
Full Moons have not always been my friend, as evidenced here and here. But a Blue Moon – that is a bit of a gift. Usually these lunar events have a difficult influence, bringing out the beast not only in me but in all those surrounding me, leading to some fierce clashes. This time around it was a calming moon. It rose in the sky as the night grew long, and the weather stayed warm and fine. I ventured back into the pool, taking leisurely laps as the moonlight sparkled on the water.
It was just me and the moon, tossing it back and forth, two drifters – only one of which could see the world as a whole, the other flailing a bit, like he always does, but calm tonight, even beneath the surface.
“I had not known the sudden loneliness
Of having it vanish, the moon in the sky of dawn.”
~ Murasaki Shikibu, The Tale of Genii
Summer had returned. The night was warm and for the most part still, with just the slightest breeze that didn’t so much blow as slowly move the air around, gently shifting the atmosphere, transferring a pocket of summer-sweet perfume here, the cologne of the butterfly bush there. Above it all, the blue moon, traveling in a slow arc across the sky, watching and illuminating with its ghostly reflection of sunlight.
The best part of the moon is that we all see it. No matter how far apart we might be, no matter how much time passes, we can look up on certain nights and be sure of each other, sure that we are seeing the same thing. There is solace in that, in something that can be so shared. It’s impossible to feel too lonely with the moon as your companion.
“So long as I look upon it I find comfort,
The moon which comes again to the distant city.”
~ Murasaki Shikibu, The Tale of Genji
This same moon will fly over all of our cities, sometimes hidden by clouds, sometimes barely breaking the horizon, sometimes rising out of the ocean – and each of us at some point will see it.
Everyone will get their turn – separate, but together.
Apart, but connected.
Lunar consolation.
