Bianca and I were 30 miles north of Phoenix recently. Away from a lot of urban light pollution, there were the stars and their popular friend the moon. What better place to learn more about the moon than by a pool at noon under a merciless sun:
The Moon is about one-quarter the size of Earth. Its diameter is roughly 3,475 kilometers making it similar in width to the contiguous United States. By comparison, Earth has a diameter of roughly 7,918 miles. Because Earth is larger in three dimensions, it would take nearly 50 moons to fill the volume of Earth, and the Earth is roughly 81 times more massive
There is no exact, official tally of how many songs are written about the moon, but rough estimates suggest there are over 750 to 1,000+ songs spanning all kinds of music. Humans have been writing songs for thousands of years, dating all the way back to the Hurrian Hymn No. 6 (dedicated to the moon goddess Nikkal in 1400 B.C.)
Of course Google supplied all the names and numbers in the two paragraphs above. The names and numbers are interesting, but I can’t say they are poetic. “Poetic.” You know what I mean.
And you know I could ( and will) go on to name a few popular songs about the moon: ”Fly Me to the Moon” (Frank Sinatra), “Blue Moon (Billie Holiday), “Moonshadow” (Cat Stevens), “Walking On the Moon” (The Police), “Bad Moon Rising “(Credence Clearwater.)
And of course hundreds of poems about the “queen of the night” including Shelley’s “To the Moon,” Cummings’ “Amores(III),” Stevens’ “Lunar Paraphrase.” And -- of course -- one of mine.
Fun Facts About the Moon
The moon has different names at different times
of the year: Snow Moon, Wolf Moon, Harvest Moon.
One of India’s lunar orbiters found tunnels on the dark side
suggesting a massive underground system of caves.
An astronomer named Franz von Paul Gruithuisen
wondered about lunarians living just beneath the crust.
Apollo 10 astronauts heard and recorded sounds
that might have been alien music.
These are some of the things Lily knows from a Google
search relating to her middle school report.
Lily also knows the moon is slowly, slowly moving away
from the Earth and she wonders
if the moon’s feelings are hurt the way Sean’s
were during that unfortunate incident at MacDonald’s,
him nudging his cheeseburger almost imperceptibly
away from hers as the manager’s immense shadow
fell over their table like an eclipse.
* * *
When I saw “Fun Facts About the Moon” in a niece’s textbook,Euterpe - the muse of poetry - took my hand. I knew a list was fine for a report, but not for poetry. Each stanza had to be attractive and intriguing. I like to think of Readers asking, “Where’s Ron going with this?” And then willingly coming along for the ride. And, for the record, I rarely know where a poem is going until I get there. I was pleasantly surprised by the last lines which ran away and took me along, like the dish that wasn’t happy without the spoon.
P.S. I’m grateful for the moon over Cave Creek, Arizona. It suggested this week’s Substack. And I’m happy to offer an extra poem today. It mentions a full moon, so it fits right in. Do I have to say that I love this poem? There. I’ve already said it. Read it out loud. Take your time.
Warming Her Pearls
for Judith Radstone
Next to my own skin, her pearls. My mistress
bids me wear them, warm them, until evening
when I’ll brush her hair. At six, I place them
round her cool, white throat. All day I think of her,
resting in the Yellow Room, contemplating silk
or taffeta, which gown tonight? She fans herself
whilst I work willingly, my slow heat entering
each pearl. Slack on my neck, her rope.
She’s beautiful. I dream about her
in my attic bed; picture her dancing
with tall men, puzzled by my faint, persistent scent
beneath her French perfume, her milky stones.
I dust her shoulders with a rabbit’s foot,
watch the soft blush seep through her skin
like an indolent sigh. In her looking-glass
my red lips part as though I want to speak.
Full moon. Her carriage brings her home. I see
her every movement in my head.... Undressing,
taking off her jewels, her slim hand reaching
for the case, slipping naked into bed, the way
she always does.... And I lie here awake,
knowing the pearls are cooling even now
in the room where my mistress sleeps. All night
I feel their absence and I burn.
See everyone next week. Thanks for dropping by.
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