It makes me crazy that nowhere in the frenzied media (including tonight’s complete cast of the “best journalists in the business” crammed behind a desk in the CNN newsroom), nor in Congress is there talk of serious oil conservation, peak oil realities and greenhouse gas calamities on the horizon. Nowhere is there talk of the ethics of oil usage in this country.
I will be attending the Midwest Renewable Energy Fair in central Wisconsin this coming weekend. Such topics will be spread throughout the presentations and discussions. I assume my nerves and stomach are in similar states to those thousands who will be there; including Bill McKibbon of 350.org.
So, as the TV pundits pundicized, I took my churning frustration out to the darkening backyard. Right on cue, the waxing crescent moon loomed over our dark roof and next to the silhouetted spruce tree out front. The evening sliver was slowly descending in the darkening western sky. Venus sparkled a few degrees to the north at the same elevation.
And then, in its erratic egocentric dance routine, the first firefly of the season darted around blinking, “Look at me! Look at me!” Cute, but not quite Venus, fella. I sighed. Three very different "little" natural lights had combined to settle me down.
Down-came-the-blood-pressure.
The newest of the waxing crescent moon has always been my favorite phase. I wrote this poem almost a decade ago to gather thoughts of this little sliver.
RENEW
The new crescent succeeds
the dark void of new moon nights.
It defers to greater luminescence
in the low west at day’s end
and patiently awaits the sun’s departure.
Emerging like the mirage of a clean white thread,
the moon becomes its own elusive twilight show.
Sun and Earth and Moon
will continue to blend movement
so this infant moon
develops its presence
into brighter nights.
Sometimes it appears suddenly.
I feel an ephemeral tug, like a twenty-nine day tide.
Beauty so powerfully delicate.
Spiritually so symbolic of growth.
A reminder to revitalize.
Refocus on mindfulness.
Reaffirm love for self.
Recommit to compassion.
Regenerate the soul with wisdom.
Renew.
Short minutes.
The crescent succumbs to the horizon.
Higher and fuller tomorrow.
This is the way I need to deal with my frustrations of the present and fears of the future. Regroup, take a deep breath, and smile at the moon.
will continue to blend movement
so this infant moon
develops its presence
into brighter nights.
Sometimes it appears suddenly.
I feel an ephemeral tug, like a twenty-nine day tide.
Beauty so powerfully delicate.
Spiritually so symbolic of growth.
A reminder to revitalize.
Refocus on mindfulness.
Reaffirm love for self.
Recommit to compassion.
Regenerate the soul with wisdom.
Renew.
Short minutes.
The crescent succumbs to the horizon.
Higher and fuller tomorrow.
This is the way I need to deal with my frustrations of the present and fears of the future. Regroup, take a deep breath, and smile at the moon.
