Earth-shadowed
42January 9, 2018 by petrujviljoen
Collage, 2018 Copyright Petru J Viljoen
I remember the balcony of a sometime lover. I stepped out for a minute to escape the thick of sweet-smelling fog. T’was the moon and I: swallowed it. Mouth opened wide, drew in well and deep and kept it down. Years later I still had to leave the moon’s gleam in case of … well … you know … Ha! It’s much better now. The moon is exceptional. One is humbled, grateful.
Here. Now. Torch in hand to the veggie patch fetching green pepper. The full moon just rising, still among the branches of a tree. Timing: switch off the stove, fetch the wine and chair, putting on my thick fake sheep-skin jacket, finding a good spot. In time for the rising.
earth-shadowed, the moon’s
distracted from her purpose
– swallowing the howl
…
Linked to Dverse Poets
Disclaimer: nothing terrible happened: just a nosy neighbour but (insert swear word of your choice) annoying enough!
petrujviljoen 
The moon is one of my favorite subjects.
I actually had some peppers from my container gardens into late fall.
Nothing there now… I dream of having a green house, but I think my hubby just isn’t up for it.
I did save two spices though (they are growing slowly in the morning light which is all they get).
Which spices? I’m hoping to plant cardamom but not sure it will survive here.
Parsley and marjoram 🙂
Got those!
I had brought in some basil… but it didn’t make it. Maybe if I had more light or a plant light.
My basil didn’t take at all either and there was plenty of light! I remember us having this chat once before, long time ago?
? Possible. About outside stuff. I can’t have outside stuff in winter 😉
Should be a good and amazing show ~ Love also: swallowing the howl~
It’s nice to watch a full moon rise right at sunset.
I’ve seen that once only so far. I was out for a walk to watch the sunset but the wind got cold so I turned round to go home and saw the full moon just over the horizon. Wrote about it somewhere.
Love the imagery in this, Petru!
Thanks Walter.
‘Swallowing the howl’ – gorgeous image! Also loved the art.
Thank you!
I liked reading the preparation to watch the rising. the wine bit especially. hope she put on a good show for you.
“Swallowing the howl”!!!
I really love the thought of swallowing moon. It’s light becoming part of you….
I’m sure it has! Thanks Bjorn.
“swallowing the howl”–it does, doesn’t it? (K)
It does. More’s the pity!
I love the juxtapositions in this, the memory, the present, the wild moonlight howling and the pottering in the veggie patch. Forget the neighbours. They live on a different, grey, boring planet.
It’s difficult to ‘forget’ a neighbour while he’s in one’s face most of the time!
Don’t you have Leylandias down your way? They are the scourge of suburbia in the UK, form an impenetrable evergreen barrier yards high. You can plunge your neighbour into utter darkness. They grow ever so quickly too.
🙂 I’ll see what I do, thanks Jane!
🙂
I love the image of you swallowing the moon and the final line of the haiku is brilliant!
Thank you Kim.
In time for the rising.– oh, this leaves so much for the imagination.
Thanks!
ugh…neigbours! – I think being on the outskirts of everything, especially groups of people (even if they appear one one) is how the moon feels … Nice to watch from a distance – with a mocking : “you-can’t-touch-this” attitude .
liked your writing Petru x
Baie dankie Zelda. Neighbours peering over their fences at one is freaky and that’s a fact! Dankie vir die inloer. 🙂
Zelda, ek’t probeer kommentaar lewer op dinsdag dapperder maar dit het nie gelaai nie. Kyk in jou spam folder asseblief? Dit het nou al ‘n paar keer gebeur met ander bloggers ook.
Ek het niks verder as my neus gedink – en vandag nou vir die eeeerste keer gesien ek het ‘n spam folder. En sommer ‘n hele paar comments daar gekry. Oeps. Op jou comment op die ice-cream proteas – jip, het dit goedkoop laat gaan – kan jou privately inbox erens met die hele storie 😉
Goed. My epos wys beide op my blog en dis sigbaar in die comments folder in die dashboard.
When I was a student nurse we lived in dorms. My roommate and I used to schedule 3 minute groan sessions. Maybe a good howl would have worked well. I like the “now” paragraph for my now.
Thanks Victoria. It’s healthy, off-loading some aggravation! 🙂
The aggravation of A nosy neighbor isn’t to be made light of, I think! What a wonderful writer you are.
Thanks! At a time when one just wants to get on with one’s life is an added freak-out!
No, it isn’t!
I love – swallowing the howl 🙂
It’s going to have to come out again!
“In time for the rising”
indeed. I am ever enamored of the moon, and i love the voice in this.