MOON OVER TROUBLED WATERS

At the dawn of time when God created the sun in all its glory
He also created a satellite and here begins our story
She was born in the split second of a cosmic storm
Magnificent, luminescent but silent and forlorn.
God was struck by her dreamy face quite round as a balloon
"Michael", he said, "Let us call her the moon".

Thus, our nocturnal queen was born to serve her destiny in time
Mortal men through the ages have tried to capture her beauty in painting, prose & rhyme

God was pleased that she was both pure and chaste
"But one cannot live by air alone, " he said
"I need to create love for her, post haste!".
And so he created the earth and all its waters below
Before the seventh day he had completed the universe's greatest show!

Soon the earth prospered and Neptune ruled the seas and tide
And the moon shone down with a love she tried so hard to hide.
So she waxed and she waned with regular ardor
As she watched from the heavens above her distant partner.

It all began on her walk one starlit night
With her friend the dog star close within her sight.
They talked of Christ who was born a Savior that day
And the clouds that had gone, elsewhere, that night to play.

As they talked well passed midnight
She felt a sudden pull that halted her in her glide
She looked down to check what had caused the sudden fright
And, dark, surging waters filled her luminous sight.

Now, she had lived a long time this quiet, spiritual gal
But she had never paid particular attention to the waters of the Bay of Bengal.
She was now shocked at his temper and youthful impatience
He struggled so hard it was causing her inconvenience.

Dark spots of pain appeared on her waning complexion
She had never felt before this agony of connection
Who is this royal beast that tears at my very soul?
Being new, shouldn't he be playing a gentler role?

The defiant waters looked up as if he had heard her thoughts
"You are misinformed and your head seems full of moths".
If you are to work with me I expect you to render good service.
You must not play hide and seek and you must not be nervous."

The moon looked blank, dumbstruck with awe
She had never been spoken to like this by Jupiter or by Thor!
Perhaps he doesn't know who or what I really am
By Selene! He looks a born fighter, likes Aries the Ram!

She tried to speak, but he went on "There are rules to follow
You should be present here on time, on the morrow.
I expect you to help me control the tide
We'll get on well, if these simple things you can abide.

A slave to her emotions, the moon, enraged could not speak
She just stared ominously and glided off to the nearest Kanchenjunga peak
Where she hid herself until the dawn
Knowing in her heart, her solitary, peaceful days had gone.

"I'm glad you are here. I was just about to go round the bend
Look, I apologize for last night and I would like to be your friend
The Moon stayed silent and just glowed in her new form, slimly
"I cannot understand", she thought, "Why is he suddenly quite friendly"?

The Waters shifted uneasy in her silence
But not giving up probed deeper into her resistance
"How do I tell him," the Moon thought,
I have been his friend from the day he was born.
Friendship has been our gift from God from dusk to dawn".

The Waters waited in silence for the Moon to answer
Then in the ethereal light, heard her softly whisper
"Tell me something," she said, "about your ancestor".
"My ancestors are the tributaries, the arteries and the ocean that feed me
Perhaps I look older than what I might be?"

And tell me what of you and the Dog Star
Is he always this close to you or does he venture far?
I have often observed him in the sky
Always keeping an eye on you from up high."

The Moon shimmered with a smile
And her moonbeams danced on the Waters for a while.
It was refreshing to be with someone so aggressive
Plain spoken, brilliant and crystal clearly possessive!

And suddenly, the Universe seemed a better place
As the Moon went swinging in the sky with wonderful grace.
The Waters rose in order and in perfect symphony
And two restless souls experienced elemental harmony.

Oh! What is life without some passion
Like the Moon over Water on this occasion.
And what is life without a friend
To have and to hold unto the end.
While the whole world lay in peaceful slumber
The Moon spontaneously lost her soul to the effusive Water.

Soon the air pulsated with the sound of their voices in sweet music
And the waters glistened and twinkled in the reflected moonlight magic
Then it was dawn and time for the Moon to quickly sail away
It was the loneliest thing in the Universe to watch the Waters in the distance fade away.

The Moon did not rest the whole day at all
She just waited anxiously for the night to fall.
She wanted to take a peek at the spirit that relentlessly moved on
To investigate every nook and cranny and to nurture all life that spawn.

He was waiting for her impatiently and impulsive as before
"The Sun has ridden off" he sparkled. “ with Apollo
Who told me you were impatient to come on.
You look different somehow.
Is that a little weight you've put on?"

The Moon flushed bright and hid behind a cloud to hide her confusion
Does he have to ask questions in such overwhelming profusion!
To take his mind off her, she asked,
"What is your favorite color"?
"Blue," he answered immediately,
"The color of the ocean in regal splendor".

"It suits you," the Moon replied, “Blue is my favorite color too."
"You are just saying that", the Waters retorted.” It cant be true".
"Why not?" she replied, "Have you not heard of a Blue Moon?
I have made poets and lovers and Elvis swoon."

"O men are poor creatures," the Waters replied
They often mix sex and friendship," he sighed
"But friendship doesn't have to mean sex", he went on
"Time and distance doesn't matter in friendship," he kept on, until dawn.

The Moon absorbed this, but did not react
The next night with him, she discovered a new fact.
"What are your lucky numbers," she had asked of him
"They are two and seven, the numbers in Neptune," he said in the starlight dim.

Now two stands for the Moon with Jupiter her mentor
And seven for Neptune and in association, her aquatic suitor.
The Moon knew God's plan and felt the Waters of Fate sweep her away.
She felt a sudden desire, a longing to skim down a silvery kiss to the Waters that day.

The Waters unaware as the impossible made possible, was happening
And out of the blue the realization hit her like lightning.

But refined and reserved as she was
She hid her turmoil from this associate
of the Lord of War, Mars.
She just beamed brightly on and held her counsel
Was glad his banks were fringed with moss, like a tassel.

For they would need faith and fortune to keep them together
The mystical moon and her adventurous admirer.
She wondered if she should give him a moonstone as a charm
To keep him safe from all earthly harm.

But she hesitated, and so it is written,
That eventful day came all too soon
When he had better things to do
Than wait all day for the spectral Moon.

He hardly paid her any due when she was there at nights
But rushed off to the coast to watch the neon lights.

He was unstoppable and wanted to expand and grow
And resented the Earth that made him so slow.
The Moon afflicted, her disciplined nature
Not on patrol.
The Waters dampened her spirits further,
With command and control.

The Moon watched nocturnally as he flirted
At the feet of a fisherman and his daughter mending a net
As he listened to human gossip of the flourishing internet.
Sometimes he was pensive and quiet as he watched the Moon at bay
And sometimes he wreaked havoc with power and ambition in a stormy display!

At times he wished to travel to far off places, like the Cameroon
Disliking the beaten path; wanting too much, too soon.
He blamed the Moon for making him such an emotional lunatic
But his influence was as much as hers, magnetic.

As the Universe expands, the Moon, now swims in disarray
Cutting a swath of light to show her lost friend the way.
When she's sad she covers her face with a cloud
And the Eclipse of the Moon is her saving shroud.

She understands freedom and guides his changing path
To the best of her ability
Knowing he cannot break free
From the chains of terrestrial gravity.
Nature weeps for her on Monsoon days
And men have immortalized her in their ways.

So shine on! Shine on Moon Over Troubled Waters
Shine on for our wayward sons and daughters!
He touched your heart and walked on hallowed ground
You touched ours with a love and devotion so profound!
Life hurts when you find that all that affection
Is just an elaborate illusion, a grand deception!
But shine on gentle Moon, with all your wisdom
The meek shall inherit the earth in years to come.