Do you remember the clouds in the sky,
And the man in the moon peeping through,
How he winked at a star with twinkling eye
The night I was whispering to you?
The music and chorus of insect bands
Chirping vespers to valley and hill,
The soft, tender clasp of two trembling hands
Do they live your memory still?
Do they live your memory still?
The other day, while waiting for the subway, I found myself captiivated by the beauty of the sky. It was so blue, so clear, and I found myself hypnotized by the puffy white clouds, taking notice at how fast they appeared to be moving. Today, I know it is the Earth the turns, but when I was a child, I believed that it was the sky that moved and often wondered where the clouds could be going in such a hurry. The world was such a place of magic when we are young. Do you remember how it was? We had so many questions. Two I remember asking are:
Why is the sky blue?
Where does the sun go at night?
As young children, we may not be able to relate clouds to rain. One belief that I always had when I was very young was that the clouds were smoke. Were you told that thunder was only God bowling with the angels or that rain was the angels tears?
As young children, we may not be able to relate clouds to rain. One belief that I always had when I was very young was that the clouds were smoke. Were you told that thunder was only God bowling with the angels or that rain was the angels tears?
"O wild and wondrous midnight, There is a might in thee To make the charmed body Almost like spirit be, And give it some faint glimpses Of immortality."
--James Russell Lowell --
Do you remember the man in the Moon? As adults we know there is no man up there, but he sure was real to us when we were little children. I believed in him so much that I could spend hours in my window at night just waiting for him to move.
The Man in the Moon as he sails the sky
Is a very remarkable skipper,
But he made a mistake when he tried to take
A drink of milk from the Dipper.
He dipped right out of the Milky Way,
And slowly and carefully filled it,
The Big Bear growled, and the Little Bear howled
And frightened him so that he spilled it!
Is a very remarkable skipper,
But he made a mistake when he tried to take
A drink of milk from the Dipper.
He dipped right out of the Milky Way,
And slowly and carefully filled it,
The Big Bear growled, and the Little Bear howled
And frightened him so that he spilled it!
There are lots of stories told about the Moon, just as there are many stories told of everything which it is hard for us to understand. Anyone here ever believe that the Moon was made of green cheese? Why green, I'll never know. Or that the cow jumped over the Moon?
Another biggie for the little girl that was me was wishing upon a star.
Star light, star bright,
First star l see tonight,
I wish l may, l wish l might,
Have the wish l wish tonight.
No sooner would my mom turn out my light and shut the door that I'd be up again, gazing out the window, squinting my eyes to find the first star. How disappointed I was when I discovered there was more than one star. How was one to choose a star to wish upon? Oh, the choices I had to make! And, what did it matter if the wish didn't come true. I really never expected it to. All of the magic was focused on the wishing.
The thunder is, which I remember... It had something to do with the legend of the man who fell asleep and slept for ages. Rip Van Winkle?
ReplyDeleteSounds good because it was set in area like 'Sleepy Hollow' area of NYS. :-)
Someone was bowling!
And I think that "someone," was gnomes, maybe?
Anyone else remember a tale like this? :-))))
I don't wish upon a star. But I try to remember to Salute The New Moon. :-)))))
"Auntie"
Not so much Mary...my views of wishing on a star have changed over the years. Do I enjoy gazing at them? Oh Yes! To me when I see the stars I am looking at Ancestors.
ReplyDeleteI loved your post today...it's very wistful and poignant.
Blessings on Your Day...
Love, Akasa
Good morning Mary......i like this wonderful post today about wishing on a star.....I never really wished as a child...but, just like you I can remember days of looking at clouds. I would often lay outside with my next door neighbor boy and just study the white puffy clouds in the sky.
ReplyDeleteDon't wish much today either.....maybe I'm too much of a realist to spend much time doing that......I always say "what is.....is".
Have a beautiful day,
Jo
I used to love to lie on my back in my front yard and stare at the moving clouds. They used to fill me with a sense of wonder and magick. My mother and I used to pick out animals in the clouds all the time. I still love wishing upon a star and hope I always will enjoy this.
ReplyDeleteOf course I wish on stars - but only on the first star I see, and I was taught (by whom, I don't remember - one of my parents) to see that star, close my eyes, wish, and then search out another star to look at before looking back at the first star I saw. Only then would I get my wish. (Solves the problem of choosing a star, anyway, and agreeably lengthens the ritual.) Since childhood, the wish has always been the same - a very general intention for good.
ReplyDeleteAlso, in passing, when you see the clouds moving, you are really seeing them move - they are being blown by the wind far above you. The earth certainly turns, but it is best observed by watching the stars or the sun and moon rising and setting; they don't get blown around.
ALL OF THE ABOVE! :0)(((hugs)))Pat
ReplyDelete