Poets Salon: Moonstruck

POETS SALON

– 1/23/19

Hosted by Kathabela Wilson

Almost five years ago, Oct. 2014, our first Poetry Corner was created when our publisher invited me to write: Blood Moon Reflections. And so we have our moonstruck anniversary, setting the stage for today’s Poets Salon. Even when the moon is at its most dynamic and alluring, red, wolfish and powerful, sometimes we can’t see it through the clouds, or perhaps we even sleep through it! How many moons have I missed, this busy world– someday I’ll swallow it whole.

~ Kathabela

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Moon Rising study, oil on panel by Michele L. Harvey.

Michele L. Harvey

wolf moon
across new-fallen snow
the measure
of light and shadow
can change a life

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Super moon blood moon, 1-20-2019 (Photo – Stevie Strang).

Stevie Strang

in and out of clouds
the super blood wolf moon
awakens my animal spirit

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Catching the moon (Photo – Susan Rogers).

Susan Rogers

super blood wolf moon–
we stand outside the bookstore
and howl

tonight
I caught the moon
but I let it go

Moonstruck (Photo – Susan Rogers).

Moonstruck: Quotes and Credits

Michele L. Harvey, Hamilton and Brooklyn NY: “It has always keenly interested me as to no matter how well prepared, unseen, outside forces often hold sway. Something seen by light of day can be completely different by moonlight. So too, a plant growing in shade can be completely different from the same plant given more sun. In life we must accept our individual circumstance. And since life isn’t necessarily fair, we must make the best of it, no matter how much light or shadow comes our way.”

Stevie Strang, Laguna Niguel, California: “Moonstruck. I have this thing with the Moon. When it shows off, I’m there. Last year, on a cold January night, I sat in the backyard at 11:30 PM and watched the Super Blue Blood Moon, in a cloudless sky, until dawn. It was the first total lunar eclipse since 2015 and the first Blue Moon Blood Moon visible from the U.S. since 1866! I kicked off the venture with a pot of coffee; thought about our ancestors, how they struggled back then, what they thought when they saw the Blood Moon? How trite our so-called human “problems” are now, compared to the vastness of the Universe. I felt the presence of goodness that exists and the courage to embrace a better, positive, loving future. After the eclipse ended I welcomed the dawn with a flute of champagne. It was exhilarating to think of all who have witnessed this phenomenon and how virtually connected we really are! This year, the Super Moon flirted through storm clouds just long enough for me to get a glimpse (and a few hundred pictures) of its glorious Blood Moon and eclipse. I thanked the Moon for yet another opportunity to appreciate the complexity of the Universe, to learn, know and remind me, that all that really matters in this world, is Love.”

Susan Rogers, Los Angeles, California: “Running out of the bookstore I raced down the block searching for a clear view of the moon. The Super blood wolf moon.. a rare triple crown, the first lunar eclipse of the year and closest to earth. Hard to find a wolf in an urban forest thick with buildings and too bright lights. I used startracker on my cell phone and there it was just above a tall. building turning the night red. I ran to get my friend and together we gestured wildly at the sky, marveling at the moon, feeling the wave of red covering our hearts and sinking deep within us, joining our lives with something rare and wondrous. We took smiling selfies with the moon and became honorary wolves.”

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♣ We welcome and encourage your response, especially in the form of a short poem, by leaving a comment below.

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