gominokouhai | The Moon, a Tribute, or: Luna? but I barely know 'er (Reply)

I love the Moon. Just look up and there's a heavenly body whirling just above our heads. It's a bit of Space, right there. You can make out features of an entire mysterious alien world with nothing but a glance. It's right there in the sky, every night, and nobody ever seems to comment on just how fantastic this is.

The Moon has emerged from totality now and a muddy cloud is receding across her surface—gradually, but still crossing the entire disc while one contemplates it. It's like watching the entire two-week process of a waxing Moon over the course of an hour.

Walking home from work, I stopped and conversed with many random strangers (and I'm not talking about the drunken lunatic who started screaming Brokeback Mountain at me, presumably on account of my hat, or the three girls who thought he was talking to them and that it obviously meant he was gay). A bunch of Japanese tourists were pointing their cameraphones at the sky: I pointed out that they'd need a significantly better zoom function for the pictures to come out. Later, a group were coming out of a concert at the Usher Hall, pointing upwards, and wondering how long it would take. I told them that it would be half an hour until totality and that it would last until about midnight. They thanked me, I said no problem, and we moved on.

I don't often talk to people, much less random people out on a Saturday night, but tonight were all unified and humbled by the magnificent cosmic ballet acting itself out above our heads.

For, under the blinking eye of Selene, are we not ultimately all one?

This remarkably pretentious screed brought to you by Organic Rye Vodka and a vast, complex, yet impossibly beautiful astronomical display whirling in plain sight above us.