.

I asked the moon, “Do you feel all alone?”
She said, “I have no time. I’ve lots to do.
To all the stars, I am a chaperone.
Tonight I’m in good company with you.”

I asked the moon, “Do you begrudge the sun?”
She said, “my heart’s devoid of jealousy.
Besides the job I do could not be done
without the nightly light she lends to me.”

I asked the moon, “Why shine upon my face,
when I feel so unworthy of your glow?”
She said, “my child, you’re worthy of my grace
like every other form of life below.”

I said, “you are so beautiful, my friend.
How does it feel to rule nocturnal skies?”
She said “I do not rule. I just attend
to everything from stars to fireflies.

“I am no queen. I’m only meant to serve
and keep the void of darkness well at bay.
My purpose here is mostly to observe
and keep you safe until the break of day.”

I smiled then bid the moon a fond goodnight
and thanked her for the haven of her beams.
Then in a cloud, she vanished from my sight,
but on the wind I heard her say “Sweet dreams.”

.

.

Dave Irby is a retired law enforcement officer and a U.S. Air Force veteran, currently living in Halifax, VA.

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14 Responses

  1. Cheryl Corey

    I absolutely adore your personification of the moon. In the last stanza I would’ve put a comma after “I smiled” and again after “goodnight”, but that’s me. I like the rhymes of “alone” and “chaperone”, “skies” and “fireflies”, and the very last line. I think it’s a great poem – a very enjoyable read !

    Reply
  2. Gail

    She and I could be friends. She does her work humbly for the benefit of many.
    I like her.

    Reply
  3. BRIAN YAPKO

    David, this poem is a real charmer filled with gorgeous images and a beautiful message — a lovely way to start the day! Thank you for sharing it.

    Reply
  4. Paul Freeman

    Wow! I really liked this poem. It has a very classical feel to it and layered messaging.

    Thanks for the read, David.

    And thanks for the beautiful graphic accompanying the poem, Evan.

    Reply
  5. Susan Jarvis Bryant

    David, this uplifting poem is a beautiful tribute to the moon that begs to be read aloud and shared with others… which I will most certainly do. I especially love stanza 4 – “… “I do not rule. I just attend/to everything from stars to fireflies.” ~ such a lovely depiction of the humble heart of the moon. I shall gaze upon her with greater admiration tonight.

    Reply
  6. Michael Dashiell

    Brilliantly done. The moon will glow brighter for it.

    Reply
  7. Sally Cook

    David, even though our moon concepts differ greatly ( I see the moon as male and the sun as female); I find your conversation with that lunar body unusual and intriguing. It is always renewing to hear how others view him/her.

    Reply
    • C.B. Anderson

      It’s funny, Sally, how one’s language affects how we assign gender to celestial objects. Your perspective accords with German (der Mond and die Sonne, but I’m sure that in other languages the gender assignment for the sun and the moon are reversed. In English we have none of this, so we just have to use our imaginations. But please bear in mind that Luna was a goddess!

      Reply
  8. C.B. Anderson

    A very nice narrative, David, with many interesting and illuminating points of light. Is writing this kind of thing an escape for you, or do I completely misunderstand what it means to have once been a law enforcement officer? Your Luna does not rule, and I remember an old joke from my childhood (probably from the Grin & Bear It section at the back of every issue of Boys’ Life.

    Q: Which is more important, the sun or the moon?

    A: The moon, because it shines at night, when we really need the light.

    Reply
  9. Sally Cook

    Comment
    But CB, though the moon does have some influence over crops and growth rates of some other things, the sun’s
    . the one without which nothing grows.

    Come on, Margaret, you are our local moon expert, let’s hear from you.

    The poem is very lovely, in any case, as is the illustrative painting.

    Reply
  12. David Watt

    Dave, your poem is a particularly memorable tribute to the moon.
    A conversation with a celestial object is a neat way to frame the picture you create.

    Reply
  13. Elizabeth Murry

    This is a beautiful poem. I felt pulled in listening to a private conversation that maybe I shouldn’t be ease dropping on…but, the conversation was so sweet, I could not help myself.

    Reply

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