Light in the darkness

Angus and I look out for each new moon and follow it night after night as it waxes, wanes and then disappears from sight. It’s such a simple thing to do in the late evening, and sometimes in the morning too, yet it gives us real pleasure.

For some reason I have a very clear memory of the packaging of the Creamola custard powder that my mother bought when I was a child. It depicted a smiling moon being fed bread and butter pudding by a boy dressed in a kilt. It fascinated me. Quite what the connection between custard and the moon was I can’t imagine!

In the first chapter of Genesis we have the creation of the ‘lights’ and it is utterly beautiful. ‘And God said, “Let there be lights in the vault of the sky to separate the day from the night, and let them serve as signs to mark sacred times, and days and years, and let them be lights in the vault of the sky to give light on the earth.” And it was so. God made two great lights—the greater light to govern the day and the lesser light to govern the night. He also made the stars. God set them in the vault of the sky to give light on the earth, to govern the day and the night, and to separate light from darkness. And God saw that it was good.’

The moon

The moon slid

from sky to sea

and lay on the water

relaxing.

Breathing

in time with the tide

he looked up at himself

in surprise.

Stretching,

he drifted

in long strands of light

that danced as the wind rose

and rose

and rose

till white horses cantered to the shore

shattering the sea moon

into millions of tiny diamonds

and the moon in the sky

beamed with delight.