Lunar Eclipse – a poem by Kate Rauner
Early science fiction rocket arrives at the Moon in 1902 movie A Trip to the Moon
In anticipation of tonight’s lunar eclipse, I’m posting the week’s poem early – Kate
The world presents unto our eyes
Shapes and shadows, shifting lines
Our human brains do excel
At finding patterns that may tell
So in the moon the things we’ve seen:
A man, a rabbit, hands, a queen.
Just as clouds above cause rain,
All things above cause joy or pain.
When the moon turns rusty red
The normal night was turned to dread.
Will heaven’s fight drop on us soon,
As demons, jaguars bite the moon?
Drum and howl, chant and sing;
The moon’s restored, we always win.
Is it less now that we know
The moon is deep in Earth’s shadow?
Tonight I’ll see with my own eyes
A hint of nature’s scope and size.
The far side of the moon, which we Earth-bound observers never see
There will be viewing parties in many places. I’ll watch from my own deck, but if you’re in Los Angeles, consider http://www.griffithobs.org/exhibits/special/Lunar_Eclipse_April_2014.html where an astronomer (in official eclipse-dispersing wizard’s robe and hat) and the public gather on the observatory’s front lawn with telescopes—and with noisemakers. Their public program from 7 pm to 2 am sounds great – too bad I’m too far away to attend.
Learn more about moon myths; for example: http://news.nationalgeographic.com/news/2014/04/140413-total-lunar-eclipse-myths-space-culture-science/?google_editors_picks=true. There are quite a few to choose from at http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Category:Moon_myths
