phases of the moon (eight faces of our beginning)

by markk

Posted to Action Poetry on 2002-09-19 08:13:00

1. new moon

i am mindful moon, full facing
i am vanished to
mythological reason
the ghost of the moon
the shadow of the moon
the apparition of
no moon

( moon unilluminated
side facing the earth
moon not visible )

cornstalks in darkness
dry & defenseless
we begin where
we once ended
a clean slate
empty

2. waxing crescent

my eye is a half-eye
the heavy lids
of meditation
i open up to
sweet realms of the senses
greetings of pale
earth, the interior
calming storm
feeds the corn

( moon appears
in part
less than one-half
illuminated by direct sunlight
fraction of the
moon’s disk
illuminated, increasing )

i move into parts
of you, where dirt furrows
bury the birth of
our manacled creation

3. first quarter

as i open up, exterior
logic i go deeper
the breathing of
legendary mantras
the dharma of our
fluctuations

( one-half of the moon
appears illuminated
by direct sunlight
fraction of the moon’s
disk illuminated, increasing )

across vast expanses
where lost tribes
curry favor from
the origin
of all gods our feast is
our mere child in gestation

4. waxing gibbous

these colors are the
colors of saintly rainbow
pressures upon
unseen retina
the soul of sight
our mental resources
grounding
physical spectres

( moon appears
more than one-half
not fully illuminated
by direct sunlight
fraction of the moon’s
disk illuminated, increasing )

the sound of sticks that
strike the fertile
dirt carving rows
the tiny sprouts
that whisper our
secret names

5. full moon

i am open & unresisting
the triumph of our
history
the reach of
stones that
spring from
the planet’s flesh
rise high, in majesty
disappear into
tears of dust

( moon illuminated
side facing the earth
moon completely
illuminated
by direct sunlight )

i am fully awake
the absence of dreaming
the particulars of
hypnotic trances
as i hover exterior
blaze interior
i am in apogee
the mindful moon
the nightlight
upon full fields
that spring ripe from
the flesh of the planet

6. waning gibbous

feathers that
float to the ground
that letting go
the release
of pressure
that transforms journey
from mere destination

( moon appears
more than one-half
not fully illuminated
by direct sunlight
fraction of the moon’s
disk illuminated,
decreasing )

i speak with the
leaves, i speak with
yellow maise
i speak with
silken fiber, i
speak with strong
stalk, i speak
with this preamble
to enormous living

7. last quarter

our return to consciousness
is the remembering
of distant hoofbeats
the trail of the owls
the wolf that roars
in a creature’s language
the arms that embrace
the wings of an eagle earth

( one-half of the moon illuminated
by direct sunlight
fraction of the moon’s
disk illuminated,
decreasing )

we do not eat of
the earth, we merge with
the earth a love of
togethering, the
way the cycle completes
its walk, its dance the circular
hop of navigation

8. waning crescent

here in our response state
the moment of needing, the
slice of time when we
take back the pleading,
offer up the wanting,
cut loose things
no longer important

( moon appears
in part
less than one-half
illuminated by direct sunlight
fraction of the moon’s disk
illuminated
decreasing )

i am mindful moon
my eyes are open
my eyes are slits of mystery
my eyes are closed
in meditation
i am the mindful moon
me, the eight faces of
our beginning
you, the place
that can never end

— markk

just prior to full
harvest moon