a Blood Moon Eclipse (pubic domain)‘Blood Moon Eclipse (14 March 2025)’: A Poem by Paul A. Freeman The Society March 28, 2025 Culture, Poetry, Science 8 Comments . Blood Moon Eclipse (14 March 2025) The Moon’s blood red this morning as it floats within Earth’s shadow, bathing it in light refracted round our atmosphere, which coats the lunar dust in rust—a wonderous sight! Meantime, on climate change we chew the cud, the Middle East and Europe are at war, while Africa’s besmirched with civil blood and tyrants side-step international law. We’re mere spectators, planet Earth’s on loan, a ship adrift, from which we get to view the cosmos, while we reap what we have sown upon a world we fail to give its due. No matter Man’s wiped off the planet’s face, eclipses of the Moon will still take place. . . Paul A. Freeman is the author of Rumours of Ophir, a crime novel which was taught in Zimbabwean high schools and has been translated into German. In addition to having two novels, a children’s book and an 18,000-word narrative poem (Robin Hood and Friar Tuck: Zombie Killers!) commercially published, Paul is the author of hundreds of published short stories, poems and articles. NOTE TO READERS: If you enjoyed this poem or other content, please consider making a donation to the Society of Classical Poets. The Society of Classical Poets does not endorse any views expressed in individual poems or commentary. 8 Responses Peter Venable March 28, 2025 Well done. Maybe the moon blushes at man’s inanity. Reply Paul A. Freeman March 28, 2025 Thanks for reading and commenting, Peter. A blushing Moon! I wish I’d included that phrase. Maybe the next eclipse – if we’re still around. Reply Roy Eugene Peterson March 28, 2025 Paul, I was fascinated by your excellent sonnet constructive skills as much as the observations in the poem. Each of the first three sentences took four lines to complete and one sentence for two lines for the conclusion. The three ways mentioned of mankind being erased and going into oblivion perhaps are among the likeliest ones while the lunar eclipses continue unabated. Reply Paul A. Freeman March 28, 2025 Thanks for commenting, Roy. I watched the eclipse from around four in the morning on the roof of my apartment block, wrote the first quatrain on the bus to work along with a rough version of the second quatrain, and the rest when I got home. We are indeed in dire straits; and yet here I am on a diet, so I haven’t lost all hope. Reply Shamik Banerjee March 28, 2025 A clever way of juxtaposing the material with the ethereal. On one side, there’s man, the sublunary creature, immersed in his own worldly affairs, and on the other, there’s this creation whose periodic cosmic phenomena remind us our stay is brief. Beautiful piece, Mr. Freeman. Hope all is well. Reply Paul A. Freeman March 28, 2025 Thanks for reading, Shamik, and glad you got the impact of the piece I was aiming for. All’s well here at the back end of the Sahara – in fact it’s unaccountably chilly, today. Reply Margaret Coats March 28, 2025 Paul, this is an apocalyptic poem that is both stunning and touching. “The Earth on loan, a ship adrift, from which we get to view the cosmos. . .” reminds me of what is perhaps the greatest privilege our planet has, that of a clear view when so much of the universe is clouded by gas and dust, whence any viewers could not see out. How many ways we fail to give the world its due! Your sonnet also reminds me of the much longer “The Last Man” by Scottish poet Thomas Campbell. Magnificent atmospheric effects in both are similar, though Campbell works toward a differing conclusion. With full due respect for your poem and perspective, I recommend it. https://allpoetry.com/poem/8458109-The-Last-Man-by-Thomas-Campbell Reply Paul A. Freeman March 29, 2025 Thank you for reading and for your high praise, Margaret. And thanks for leading me to ‘The Last Man’ and Thomas Campbell. That’s two poets new to me in a week (John Neihardt being the other). I read The Last Man and was reminded of Richard Matheson’s apocalyptic novel ‘I am Legend’, which was filmed as The Last man on Earth (starring Vincent Price), The Omega Man (starring Charlton Heston), and I am Legend (starring Will Smith). It’s hard to believe Campbell wrote that poem in 1823! Reply Leave a Reply Cancel ReplyYour email address will not be published.CommentName* Email* Website Δ This site uses Akismet to reduce spam. Learn how your comment data is processed.
Paul A. Freeman March 28, 2025 Thanks for reading and commenting, Peter. A blushing Moon! I wish I’d included that phrase. Maybe the next eclipse – if we’re still around. Reply
Roy Eugene Peterson March 28, 2025 Paul, I was fascinated by your excellent sonnet constructive skills as much as the observations in the poem. Each of the first three sentences took four lines to complete and one sentence for two lines for the conclusion. The three ways mentioned of mankind being erased and going into oblivion perhaps are among the likeliest ones while the lunar eclipses continue unabated. Reply
Paul A. Freeman March 28, 2025 Thanks for commenting, Roy. I watched the eclipse from around four in the morning on the roof of my apartment block, wrote the first quatrain on the bus to work along with a rough version of the second quatrain, and the rest when I got home. We are indeed in dire straits; and yet here I am on a diet, so I haven’t lost all hope. Reply
Shamik Banerjee March 28, 2025 A clever way of juxtaposing the material with the ethereal. On one side, there’s man, the sublunary creature, immersed in his own worldly affairs, and on the other, there’s this creation whose periodic cosmic phenomena remind us our stay is brief. Beautiful piece, Mr. Freeman. Hope all is well. Reply
Paul A. Freeman March 28, 2025 Thanks for reading, Shamik, and glad you got the impact of the piece I was aiming for. All’s well here at the back end of the Sahara – in fact it’s unaccountably chilly, today. Reply
Margaret Coats March 28, 2025 Paul, this is an apocalyptic poem that is both stunning and touching. “The Earth on loan, a ship adrift, from which we get to view the cosmos. . .” reminds me of what is perhaps the greatest privilege our planet has, that of a clear view when so much of the universe is clouded by gas and dust, whence any viewers could not see out. How many ways we fail to give the world its due! Your sonnet also reminds me of the much longer “The Last Man” by Scottish poet Thomas Campbell. Magnificent atmospheric effects in both are similar, though Campbell works toward a differing conclusion. With full due respect for your poem and perspective, I recommend it. https://allpoetry.com/poem/8458109-The-Last-Man-by-Thomas-Campbell Reply
Paul A. Freeman March 29, 2025 Thank you for reading and for your high praise, Margaret. And thanks for leading me to ‘The Last Man’ and Thomas Campbell. That’s two poets new to me in a week (John Neihardt being the other). I read The Last Man and was reminded of Richard Matheson’s apocalyptic novel ‘I am Legend’, which was filmed as The Last man on Earth (starring Vincent Price), The Omega Man (starring Charlton Heston), and I am Legend (starring Will Smith). It’s hard to believe Campbell wrote that poem in 1823! Reply
