full moon

Once Again, the Moon

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Once again the moon is full.
From my window, I see her face
bright and beatific,
encircled by a hazy halo.
She looks like she is singing,
so I listen.
I hear only the hum of the air conditioner
and the tick of an old-fashioned clock.
The moon looks full of herself tonight,
satisfied with her song.
Whatever it is, it’s a heart song
felt in the soul.
Surely it’s a traveling song,
a sailing-the-skies song,
a song of the journey,
for the moon is softly sliding,
glowing, gliding sideways across deep space.
I’m surprised at how quickly she drifts
behind the elm,
peeks out through a lace-leafed veil
as if she is shy in the sky.
I turn off my bedside lamp,
and her soft song pours in
in the form of moonglow
across the hardwood floor.
And there she is,
framed in the window,
head tilted in a wondering pose,
her silent lullaby
singing me to sleep.
-kh-

Nurture peace, cultivate kindness, and carry the calm.

Nature of the week:


Shadow of the week:

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Text and photos © Karyn Henley 2026. All rights reserved.

Full of the Secret

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Plump and round, brightly white,

the full moon smiled down

through my window.

I smiled back,

for I am also full—

full of peace veiled in soft moonglow,

full, too, of the secret we share,

the moon and I.

Maybe you share the secret too,

the secret of flipping the view.

Imagine the wonder of witnessing,

through a space-traveler’s eyes,

the turn-about’s-fair-play way

of gazing not at the moon

but at Earth,

of seeing not moonglow

but earthshine.

That is the secret:

the earth glows

just as the moon does.

Moonbeams drift down to Earth,

earthbeams drift up to the moon.

Full moon smiles down,

full Earth smiles up.

And the best part of the secret?

Maybe you didn’t know that you glow,

but you do, Earthling,

you do.

-kh-

 

 

If you want to read more about earthshine, here’s a link.

Nurture peace, cultivate kindness, and carry the calm.

 

Nature of the week:

Shadow of the week:

If you want me to send these thoughts to your email each Sunday, simply sign up on the right.

Text and photos © 2024 Karyn Henley. All rights reserved.

The Secret of the Beautiful Ones

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“Time and people change

but the essence of wisdom and justice is the same.

The beautiful ones mirror God’s Beauty . . .”

– Rumi –

 

Last night, I woke up sometime after midnight and was treated to a beautiful sight: the full moon with the planet Mars nearby. I thought of how the moon wasn’t really shining but was mirroring the light of the sun. It was also mirroring God’s Beauty as all of nature does. We mirror God’s Beauty, too, shining brightest when we reflect Love. And Joy. And Peace . . .

Nurture peace, cultivate kindness, and carry the calm.

Nature of the week:

Shadow of the Week:

If you want me to send these thoughts to your email each Sunday, simply sign up on the right.

For my posts on the wonder of life, link here.

 

Text and photos © 2018 Karyn Henley. All rights reserved.

The Wind, the Moon, and You and Me

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I have two poems for you today, the first a nursery rhyme:

 

The moon’s the North Wind’s cooky.

He bites it, day by day,

Until there’s but a rim of scraps

That crumble all away.

The South Wind is a baker.

He kneads clouds in his den.

And bakes a crisp new moon that – greedy

North – Wind – eats – again!

– Vachel Lindsay –

 

“[L]ike the moon,

you will sometimes be a crescent

and sometimes full.”

– Rumi –

Whether you’re at the crescent stage or the full moon stage or somewhere in between, may you reflect the beauty of this season back into the world.

Nurture peace, cultivate loving kindness, and carry the calm.

Nature of the week:

Shadow of the Week:

 

 

If you want me to send these thoughts to your email each Sunday, simply sign up on the right.

For my posts on life, faith, and the mystery we call God, link here.

 

Text and photos © 2017 Karyn Henley. All rights reserved.