Calligraphy from KanjiStyle.com
Did you see the supermoon last night? Yesterday morning I read that the moon would rise in perigee-syzygy, or a full moon, closer than usual. The morning was clear, but you can't depend on good weather to hold around here. "Clear sky at morning, pack your umbrella," the natives ought to say, except that no one uses umbrellas. Anyway, after a busy day I was driving Scoot home from a party, and saw a large copper disk rising over the trees. At home I bustled everyone into the van and we headed for Waterfront Park.
By the time we arrived, of course, the moon had disappeared behind some clouds. Another family, there to see the moon, was tossing glow-sticks around the playground. We went down to the narrow strip of beach that the ebbing tide had uncovered, and watched the bright spot in the clouds. Soon our patience was rewarded. The moon emerged again, full and still somewhat yellow.
It cast a strangely curved reflection in the fairly still inlet. I know, in the photo the moon looks wobbly, too. I neglected to take a tripod. But the reflection really was long and curved, appropriate for the Full Worm Moon. Such is a name for the last full moon of winter. Rise and shout, the worms are out! (Cougars, too!)
In the grand tradition of moon-viewing in Japan, I invited everyone to write a poem. Three boys declined the invitation. Dandelionslayer didn't really mean to participate, I think, but he could not resist the muse:
yellow eye rising
it holds the world in its gaze
what the heck is it?
The Caterpillar started small, but could not resist composing an epic:
See the white orb rise
watch the reflection curving
largest I have seen
Giant glowing satellite
hanging like a sky-borne lamp
Seeing brothers play
moving 'round in Luna's light
running 'cross the beach
Hear the crunching of the shells
enticing children to run
Now I sadly leave
going back to our dwelling
packed into the van
Sadly now I must go home
saying farewell to our Moon.
It's more of a solo renga, actually. It contains the three moon references required for kasen, but he didn't know he was supposed to include two references to flowers. So I have supplied them pictorially.
Speaking of the brothers, they had a great time running around and picking up beach souvenirs. I caught Rollo once and made him hold still long enough to hear the frogs singing near the creek. With that much nature calling on one night, it was no surprise that another urge hit him before we packed up. Dandelionslayer was inspired, once again, with the success of Rollo's quest for relief:
gazing at stars
the restroom is found unlocked
miracles are real
