The Moon Last Night

Brilliant as she could be,

The moon rose in majesty.

Her face showing the pocks

Where rocks of space assailed her uncomplaining face.

I for my part looked upon her lovely face,

Trying with telescope and camera to seize

Some of her rich beauty.   

The complexity of it all spins my head:

How the sun shines without pause,

How the earth turns ever eastward,

How the moon, freighted by the pull

Of innumerable forces,

Careers night and day—

Always there, but visible only

When the forces permit her,

Brilliant as she could be,

She rose in majesty, and

I, standing on the earth

Knew awe.

--July 22, 2013