Moonfull

Moonfull

Look up
wherever you happen to be
this evening;
our local rocky satellite
in the sky
will be reflecting
lots of sunlight
back to us
at night.
How cool is that?

Paradise Cove
is a south-facing beach,
and we get some wonderful
sun and moon rises.
Charles and I stood
on the damp sand
at twilight,
and we watched
all that green cheese
rapidly
come into view
over the Santa Monica mountains,
and we allowed
ourselves
to really feel the earth
spinning forward.

Living here,
I am profoundly aware
of existing
on a constantly moving object.
Growing up in NYC,
I never saw moonrises,
or stars,
or too much sky
at one time.

I did not have a sense
of living
on a planet;
for my dominant perception
of the world
was geared toward all things
Man-made—
and it gave me
great comfort.

My world
and values
were reflected in
the mica mixed into
the sidewalk concrete,
as I looked downward
and walked fast
through the city streets
on my way to somewhere
that must have been
important to me
at the time.

Now,
the most important place
for me to be
is right here.

My values
are presently reflected
in a very shiny place
inside my heart
that is connected
to everything
I see around me.

Alex Shapiro February 2006