the moon before dark

currently listening to: michael harris - departure

currently playing: elden ring

i was really young, the first time i remember seeing the moon before dark. i’d been playing on the common green, the sun just starting to set, painting the village that warm pinkish-orange. the smell of woodsmoke still hung in the air - they used to light bonfires on the green during the autumn. the sky was a brilliant blue - clear, save for a couple wispy white clouds. the moon was bright white, cutting a thin pale crescent against the blue. i remember looking up at it, hands against my knees, propping me up as i caught my breath. i remember being filled with curiosity and wonder - at that time i still didn’t know what the moon really was, how old it was, how far away it was. i guess i hadn’t really thought about why you usually only saw it at night.

today brought that memory back - as i walked home from the gym, i looked up at the sky, clear again, only accompanied by a couple smoky sail-like clouds. the moon peering out from behind. someone had been burning wood nearby - maybe one of the barges on the canal. and it brought back that childhood memory, and the feeling of wonder with it.

i think it’s important to feel that again sometimes. you get so used to being wrapped up in your adult life; you forget how it was before you were, before you knew you could see the moon before dark. it was nice to be brought back to that day.