Red Canyon Petroglyph
A Story of the Moon
They told me
there is a rabbit on the moon
grinding rice
The rabbit is unhappy
Through all the years since
I have wished to see
something else
on the moon
Now I see
a vulture on a carcass
Ha!
the monkey’s paw
Better to see
tarnished silver flowers
embroidered
on muga silk
Or embers of the phoenix
in the breeze of its wings
Or my first guardian
beaming in friendship
past the monsters
in the front seat
sharing his light
to keep me alive
___________________
Brian Jerrold Koester
Review by Jared Pearce
The first time I was told that there are different pictures in the moon, I was very curious to find them and then create new pictures. In this poem I like better how the moon comes to the speaker as a comfort and friend, as a light to move past some of the unknown/unnamed lurking monsters.
Review by Massimo Fantuzzi
My teaching is like a finger pointing to the moon. Do not mistake the finger for the moon. (Buddhist proverb.)
The list of characters, mythological and totemic figurines and personas that we ourselves keep projecting on the moon continues to capture our imagination. One could research and pontificate for an eternity on how much these constructions tell us about ourselves, our ideals and our yearnings or one could just sit back, front seat, and enjoy the game of shadows, learning from them what simply cannot be taught.
Meanwhile, unrelated, China has landed a robot on the dark side of the moon, where the plan is, you’ve guessed it, dig, leaving us with a pivotal existential question: having only known darkness, is the dark side of the moon aware of its situation and ready to fall for any of the pyrotechnics happening just around the corner?