My silver lady hangs safely among the stars,

Swimming through the firmament on her 28-day cycle.

Shedding her light upon the earth

Often she sits in the pale blue sky during the day

On dark nights, she brings romance and mystery

Often time’s shady dealings are done beneath her gaze

Yet for me, she is my lady bringing magic

A time of spells, for love and luck

She is known for inspiration, which all writers need

A friend since early childhood and remains so to this day

At 72, the years have been long. I whisper my thoughts to her

On nights when I cannot see her, still I whisper

As I know she is out there somewhere in the world

I believe she has stopped me losing my marbles

My mind as sharp as it was years ago

My friend ever watching me, my white ghost, one I can never be afraid of.

If I have a problem or a question,

She will often answer with a solution.

In my teens, I would walk the streets late at night just to be with her

While she watches over me I feel safe. I know nothing can harm me

I know that it is said that the full moon brings madness

For me, her beautiful white light brings only joy

A feeling of someone who loves me, cares enough to send comfort.

Whenever the moon is missing from my night sky

I feel jealous of other continents where she shines

As if a lover has been taken from me, I await her return

When she arrives, I lie in my garden when the moon is full

I watch the clouds slide across her face as if powdering her cheeks

The coloured halo as she shines through a cloud

What secrets she could tell of days long gone

When Adam and Eve first made love, her light upon them

God turned his face away, sending them from the garden.

She was there when Noah built the Ark and when the pyramids were built

When Arthur drew the sword from the stone

What secrets she could tell of Stonehenge

Of Merlin, his wand pulling lightning from the sky to build Camelot

To summon Arthurs Knights to sit at the round table

She was there at my birth and seeped into my soul

Lovers swear undying love beneath her light

Artists and poets need her to lay colour on canvas, words on paper

Those who are lost find their way home

Her light shining a path beneath their feet

No need to feel lost or lonely, speak to her

I do, she holds all my secrets close and

Like Pandora’s Box, never lets them out again

They are secrets after all.

Some believe her to be nothing but a lump of hollow rock

I say they have lost their soul.

Scientists try to tell us she is nothing but a satellite

That appeared from nowhere, placing herself in perfect position.

They tell us of a time when the earth had no moon

Still, I say they are soulless, empty

They speak of the dark side of the moon as if there is evil there

I know there are dark and dangerous things in our universe

The moon is not one of them

There are many great wonders in our universe

Many more moons

Jupiter has so many I cannot count them

I feel the splendour, yet cannot fall in love at their sight

Saturn, with its beautiful rings, the stars

All fade beside our own moon

The new moon, fingernail moon, Hunter’s moon, blood moon

These are her many faces.

Those of us who have found a soulmate beneath the full moon

Will tell you nothing can compare with the magic she shines on us

For she is the Holy Grail, the Philosophers Stone

All the things people have searched for over a million years

Our moon puts old magic and new into the air.

I know there are those who use her power for the dark arts

The weak minded that have held onto life’s pain

Trying to get even with some poor soul with spells of darkness

There are those who would remind you

The moon has no light of her own, that she steals it from the sun

I say it matters not where she gets it from.

The light was the first thing brought into the Universe

Therefore it is good.

Where would we be without it?

Would you want to go back to a time when the world was dark

Hiding in caves, crawling around and jumping at shadows?

I for one would rather stand in the light of the moon a while longer

I know we would not be where we are without the sun

Everything is linked, the moon the shiniest of these links

She turns the tides, not only of the seas

She turns man’s fortunes, bringing fame and fortune

Prestige and position to those who seek it

I don’t care that the moon has to steal her light

To shine her magic on all of us.

Take a walk in the woods late at night, beneath a full moon

I dare you to tell me you feel nothing, no love, no magic

It is there. Wake up to it. Keep it with you when you leave the woods

It will help you face life’s troubles and find your own magic

Let it be the voice that whispers when you need it

Share it with others if you can, it will come back double

And be with you always

I found my magic when I was ten years old

Each night when the moon shines above me

I thank her for being there to watch over me and my family

I hope and pray that you find that one love to get you through this life

If I could, I would have the full moon shining outside my bedroom window every night

I bless the day I found her…

©Anita Dawes