Redtree Times

In the Light of Stillness— At West End Gallery

it was the kind of moon
that I would want to
send back to my ancestors
and gift to my descendants

so they know that I too,
have been bruised…by beauty.

― Sanober Khan, Tonight’s Moon

I have things to do this morning– work things for a change, not doctor appointments or tests — so I am reposting a post from about 8 years back that has been heavily reedited.

The poem above was taken from the book Turquoise Silence from contemporary Indian poet, Sanober Khan. I like the thought that beauty makes such a deep impression that it bruises us in a way. And that effect by the moon seems the perfect example as its beauty has been our most dependable companion since we first came to be here, whenever that might have been.

We often pay little attention to the moon as it rises and falls through all our nights. We fail to notice the path it traces across the sky and the light it reflects down on to our world as we remained focused on our earthly matters, always looking downward.

Yet, every so often, it refuses to be taken for granted and demands that we stop and take it in, to admire its cool and distant majesty. To make us consider that it has looked down on all that man has done in our relatively short time here, at least when compared the time that the Moon has looked down on our planet. To think that it has witnessed the building of the Great Pyramids, the conquests of Alexander the Great, the birth of Jesus, the explorations and sailors that circled the globe, and the rise and fall of empires, and so much more. It was even kind enough to welcome us as we came to visit it in the distant space it occupies.

It has witnessed us at our best and at our worst, stoically withholding judgement. It remains forever a true companion to the most and least among us. There is a raw element of beauty in the moon to those who appreciate it that almost leaves a mark behind, its memory serving as a bruise’s touch to remind you of the sensation.

It makes me wonder if that person who does not see the beauty in the moon even has the ability to see beauty in anything. It’s a thought that makes me sad because I can’t imagine what kind of person I would have to be to not feel the emotion that comes with witnessing the eternal and ageless beauty that the Moon brings us without fail.

Here’s a favorite song from Neko Case that I play here every few years. I think it’s been about four years now, so I guess it’s okay to share it again. This is I Wish I Was the Moon.