Advice from a Gibby Moon

The moon just happened to be gibbous when I wrote this. A gibbous moon is one that is more than a half moon but less than a full moon. A bit more than half empty or half full.

————

The Moon rose gently as a rose

in darkness of the night,

demurely lighting my repose

until the morning light.

His dimness soothed my tired eyes

and lulled them into sleep

on pillowed clouds which he supplies

to dreamers in his keep

and when he winked and turned his head,

his gibbous back displayed

faint shadows creeping ’cross the bed

where I lay disarrayed,

recovering from the reprimand

of sunlight far too bright

while playing on the shoreline’s strand

with nary shade in sight.

Too long I stayed, too long I played,

and soon I paid the price.

The moonlight’s sleepish tune then bade

me take this good advice:

“Play not in Sun till day is done;

take care to heed its power.

You had your fun, but you’re not one

with stamina of flower.

Best prudence means not abstinence,

but sensibility.

You might deflect this consequence

by stopping for some tea.

My face is often toward the Sun,

and yet I’ve never burned,

for though I bounce its light for fun,

here’s something that I’ve learned:

The times are best when can I rest

in shadows of the Earth,

but in my quest from east to west

its coverage lacks the girth

to offer full protection

from the Sun for very long—

a very brief connection

for we both must move along.

And so I spin as on a spit

to hide from its purview,

so I won’t burn more than a bit,

for that would never do.

Enjoy your time beneath the Sun,

but know that when you’re through,

if you don’t learn from what you’ve done,

you’ll hear him laugh at you.”

By Ken Gosse

From: United States

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