So, it’s 1:45 a.m. and I trundle outside in my pajamas and sit in the damp chair (ooh – that helped calm down the hot flash!). Dr. M said that it takes 30 minutes for your eyes to adjust to darkness so I was hoping to be out there for at least 30 minutes – even though it wasn’t actually all that dark. But then the neighbors came home (loudly), and I sneezed, and I kept getting distracted by the lights around me, so I lasted 15 minutes. Go me! Ha.
But oh the stars! Even though it wasn’t all that dark around me, the sky was completely clear & the more I looked, the more stars I could see. I was wishing I was awake enough to go drive out into the country because then I just know I would have been able to see ALL THE STARS.
I slip on my purple
bamboo flip-flops
and slide out the door
into a cacophony of
night music.
The cool damp is glorious –
the chair placed just so:
This is an interview
with the universe
and I am wearing
purple pajamas
that match the purple
bamboo flip-flops.
The universe asks
one question only:
“What do you see?”
“Grace,” I reply,
“and the vast open arms
of redemption.”
And the great
cricket chorus
Says, “Amen!”
Here you go, dear Bug: Perseus, about 4:30am EDST ~ Dr. M
Wow...that must have been one of the few hours when I was sound asleep! I love your poem! Yes, the resounding cricket chorus, with tree frogs and more joining in. Oh, and I added a little something to your post :-)
ReplyDeleteThanks sweetie!
DeleteNow, that is not bad at all! I was right there with you (apart from the bathrobe, the flip-flops, the damp chair, and sitting out in the dark at night ;-)).
ReplyDeleteI really liked the "interview with the universe", and the cricket "Amen"-chorus.
By the way, if M gets you when you're sleeping, try my remedy of freezer packs wrapped in hand-towels and stuffed under your pillow at the top of the bed. If it gets really bad, hold one to your chest like a teddy bear. It really works!
Thanks Kat!
DeleteM isn't too bad so far - usually just flinging the covers off works for now. But I'll remember the freezer pack idea. I actually have one that I used when I had shoulder surgery - it has it's own cloth case. It would be perfect!
I have used three every night for years!
DeleteThis is an interview with the universe---quite a lovely line. I like the rest of the poem as well.
ReplyDeleteThanks Stephen!
DeleteWhen we were at kid's camp a few weeks ago I was encouraging the kids to stand around and look at the stars without all the city lights to dim them. They were quite amazed by all the stars in the sky. We even got to see a shooting star!
ReplyDeleteWhat a great experience for them!
DeleteYay for those kids! Great job!
DeleteThe thought of being able to step out into a dark yard (even if it's not that dark) and see stars just fills me with envy. I feel like I haven't seen a star in years, though I surely must have seen them when I was home in Florida in July. Unless I forgot to look, which is pathetic but entirely possible. Anyway, love the poem, and love the photo.
ReplyDeleteI don't always remember to look for stars. We look at the moon a lot (obviously), but we have to let our eyes adjust to actually see the stars & I'm not usually that patient.
DeleteI am a country boy at heart, Steve...can't imagine not being able to step outside and see some stars. We love you...you are so very far from pathetic.
DeleteI was awake mostly last night from between 2 and 5 AM but didn't even think about the meteor shower until the cat wanted out at 4 so I grabbed a chair and sat out for a while. Saw half a dozen or so and a couple of really good ones but where do they get that 60 - 100 an hour? That would be like 3 every two minutes and I've never seen them like that.
ReplyDeleteI wish I'd been able to see something. Sounds like I just wasn't patient enough, darn it!
DeleteI sooo wanted to see something, so I went in our backyard last night. I saw the moon, a few stars, and heard a LOT of mosquito noises. When the mosquitoes found me, I fled back into the house.
ReplyDeleteLove the poem.
I have some pretty spectacular mosquito bites, lol! I saw a few great meteors during my hours outside, but like Ellen, I wonder where they get those numbers! Several hours outside during prime time...several meteors. I had hoped that I would catch some unseen ones in my 30 second exposure shots, but I took many and no, none. Love Bug's poem, too!
DeleteBug, while I don't share your religious views, that was one damned fine poem. Thank you!
ReplyDeleteThank you, Bruce! We love having you as a bloggie friend.
DeleteI'm a sucker for both nature and poetry. Thank you for bringing both.
ReplyDeleteYou're welcome!
DeleteWonderful poem, Bug. I loved it!
ReplyDeleteThanks!
DeleteI loved the poem too Bug! I miss the stars but I can still see the crazy old moon so I get my fill of the universal conversation too. Sorry I have been away from your blog for so long...lovely to be back. T xx
ReplyDeleteLove the poem.
ReplyDeleteWhen we moved here and I realized there were no street lights, I wasn't sure I liked that. A person has to be careful backing out of their driveway at night, and walking after dark can be a dangerous proposition if you don't have a reflective vest on or something that makes you visible to drivers, but I love sitting on the deck and seeing so many stars. We moved from a place that had a lot of ambient light. I decided that having NO street lights has its advantages.
Reminds me of two experiences...
ReplyDeleteOnce, I got up in the middle of the night (~4 AM) to see a meteor show and went out to the backyard and tried to see what there was to see. The problem was, I was so sleepy, I'm not sure what was actually moving and what I was thinking was moving. I gave up and went back to bed.
Long ago, I traveled with friends from Maryland to Vermont for a ski vacation. It took much longer than we had anticipated and we didn't get in until the middle of the night (~4 AM--why does all the interesting stuff happen at 4?). I remember getting out of the vehicle and being shocked at how many stars I could see. I'd been looking at the sky for a long time but with all the light pollution in Maryland, I had no idea what I was missing!