SKYWATCH FRIDAY - Calling the Moon (the north shore, Lake Erie)

I took this on September 9th in front of my house, looking towards the neighbors. Around here the nights are, as the old saying goes, “blacker than the inside of a cow.” There are no streetlights on my road; it’s just a two-lane with no sidewalks, and cottages on both sides. Behind these in the photo is the lake; the other side is bound by farmers’ fields. The road follows the shore until it ends at the tip of Point Pelee, a spit of sand that is the southernmost point of Canada, extending just south of the 42nd parallel (equal to the southern border of Oregon). There’s a slight bit of camera movement in this shot; I was holding my breath because I didn’t have a tripod.




Standing out by the road in the almost perfect darkness, trying to capture the moon and Jupiter in my camera reminded me of the song, Calling the Moon.

For more beautiful skies arond the world, visit Skywatch

POEM: ELK MOON

this is a moment on
the cusp of several
earthly and celestial
transitions: twilight and the days
between September and October
summer and winter
even the moon caught
between quarters

it’s the heat season
the antler time
elk horns raking the bush
in the semi-dark
the loud clicks and rattles
spreading out across the hills
fooling the ear
and the timid heart
with the sharp nearness of
their challenge

and above, the bright horns
of the crescent moon
stand out brilliantly against
the faded topaz remnant
of the day

hard by, Mars
presses its red visage closer and
the battle begins

Poem by Deborah Godin
Photo, Wikimedia Comons