I know I broke four or five "how to write poetry rules with this one". I will likely regret it in the morning and pull it down. But tonight, I just miss him and Malta seems so far away.

There are rules about poetry? This is beautiful. Full of longing.

Owl, yes, oy, the rules. Ah well.

Thanks for reading. And yes, much longing.

Do we each even see ONE Moon? I had a moral crisis as a young writer trying to describe the Moon. It is not possible...I can't even decide if it is silver or gold. Malta and iowa, sense and science tells us one Moon, but I say--superposition, indeifinable, Schroedinger's Cat...

Looking at the moon now. What a lovely poem. Malta's only a plane ride away....never forget that.

I'm glad I got to read it before you pulled it down. (Welcome to OS where the good stuff is pretty much NEVER on the front page!)

Maybe you won't pull it down. Because this is good,

Dang it, Scoub, really? I may not be able to describe it, but I need to believe we're looking at the same one. Give me that, ok? Just for tonight. xo to you, and thanks for stopping by.

thanks, JK. I know. I'll get there someday.

Chicago Guy - Thanks for reading, enjoying, and commenting.
(I've been here on OS awhile. I don't post too often and it's mostly just poems. But, I'm an avid reader.)

yes

Very nice.

What's he/she doing in Malta? (Malta is a very interesting place...)

poetry rules. feh!

bbd, thanks. I believe you.

Myriad - thank you. He, my best friend, moved to Malta two weeks ago - for good. He is struggling a little with the change.

On my walk tonight, when the moon came out, I started to cry from missing him and remembering our moon history.

I've done this before too. The moon is so comforting over long distances.

I've done it before, too, imagining my love gazing at the same moon. I'd reach to the moon, to her, as if to hold her face in my hand.

Whenever I see the moon, I think of these things.

Your poetry is beautiful. There is energy in it. Longing. A hesitant certainty. Your deep ache.

You are beautiful. And so must he be to be cared for so much by you.

jane, good answer! thanks. maybe I should forget the rules more often.

Kellylark - thanks for visiting. (I know poetry isn't your thing, so I extra appreciate it.) The moon truly can be a constant for us, can't it? I think my mum taught me that. She always said, "My family in Canada sees the same moon we do here." It was important to her.

Thank you, Stephen, thank you. Your words are very kind.

My wine glass is empty and hopefully so are my tears. So, to bed with me then.

A sweet night to you.

My wine glass is empty too (nine years now!) but I was looking at a beautiful moon just thirty minutes ago and talking to it (really). It's sort of how I pray at times, and the prayers tonight were full of gratitude for the mystery that is life. Our NC moon is shrouded with a hazy veil tonight - like it's playing. I'm betting tomorrow will be bright and white cheddar cheesy.

Missing someone you love just sucks at times (I can be so erudite with my words ) . But in a weird way it does add to the richness of our lives - that feeling of sadness - as long as it's not all the time.

I'm no substitute for the Maltese friend, but here's a ((hug)) anyway.

I'm not a "poetry" person, but I can recognize and appreciate authentic feelings.

Rated

Living as far north as I am, I'm seeing the moon in a new light. It's so bold and in your face. There was a time where the moon had worn out it's welcome with me. It was bland behind smog or clouds.

Beautiful poem waking :)

This is beautiful, thanks for sharing.

this made me cry...thank you for posting. rated!

Please don't take this down. I love the words and thoughts they make.
This post brought tears, and they are running bigtime right now.
got to go.....

rules? you don't need no stinkin rules...well written well felt

waking, this reminds me of the opening lines of one of Sir Philip Sidney's sonnets (from the cycle Astrophel and Stella):

"With how sad steps, oh Moon, thou climb'st the skies,
How silently, and with how wan a face."

If you and Phil can see a similar Moon across the ages . . .

But even if not, do us a favor (he said selfishly), and keep breaking the rules. Cuz this is real good.

Very nice.
Yes, if you send him the moon I believe he would send it back.
Hang in there.

Oh, hun. I'm sorry you feel this pain for your friend.

PLEASE don't take this down. For me, your beautiful poem has touched a nerve. And the timing is eery... The moon here in CA was beautiful last night, with soft clouds. My youngest daughter, who's window was flooded with light, actually came out of bed to ask if she could take a picture of the moon with my iPhone. :) And we did.

And as I stood there, I thought of that moon, and the fact that the person I love is 3,000 miles away, with the same moon flooding his world. And I couldn't decide wether he felt closer, or further away because of it.

A wistful moment.

So, I understand this poem and love it, and you for bringing me back to the light I stood in last night.

I know you miss your friend. I know he misses you. Did you ever show him that one post? Take care, dear. Hang in there - we're here.

I just looked at the picture my daughter and I took last night and it is making me cry.

Sending you hugs - I so understand how you feel...
xoxo

Why has he gone to Malta, of all places, permanently? Well, none of our business, of course - just a curious thing. Lots of Brits vacation there or live full-time. But now you have an opportunity to save air miles or whatever and go visit sometime - it's a fascinating place. And because it's so small, you can 'do' the whole country. Plus it's only a ferry ride away from Sicily, which is harder to 'do' but an even more fascinating place. (Plus the best chocolates I've had in recent years were from a little shop on a sidestreet in Valetta.)

Damn, I'm gonna do a post about Malta and the ancient temples there (the oldest discovered buildings in the world, evidently ... until some even older ones recently uncovered in eastern Turkey).

Anyway, it would be neat if you could visit Malta some full moon...

Many a poem has been written about the moon.

One that I wrote contained these lines (which I think are appropriate in your circumstance):

The moon, awash in somber white,
Is just a promise in the night.

He sees your promise, as you see his.

As for rules, hey - rules were made to be bent. Personally, I'd leave this as is. It is beautiful, touching, and truer than complying with any rules would have been.

My first husband and I always shared the Big Dipper. He told me once in the happy years to always think of him and he would think of me when we saw it. He has been dead over 10 years and I can't look at the big dipper without going Hi honey thinking of you.
The moon was beautiful this morning coming in to work and I am glad you and your love share it together. Even if they are asleep when you are awake.

I'm with owl on the rules thing...I often fix my eyes on the sky, wondering... Lovely my dear! rated

I'm always so amazed at what happens here in the night.... you all are so cool.

Grif, I agree. Sadness can add something worthwhile, a layer that somehow offers its own protection. And, you don't need to be a substitute for anyone. You're a good friend in your own right.

Thanks, littlewillie. (Is that you behind that new avatar?)

Ohhhh, Manchu - so glad you've found the moon again. And thank you for reading and your kind words.

Thanks, Tink. Nice of you to visit and comment.

alexis - I see you were my stealth poetry reader last night! Thank you for all of the comments. I hope your tears offered some comfort as they fell.

Mission - thank you. Up it will stay then. Do take care. xo

Brian - I love breaking rules. Always have.

I am really supposed to be writing a dry, god-awful report on health care reform right now but.... I am going to comment on comments instead. (I'll write the report tonight from my home laptop, curled up in my big chair.)

Gosh, Pilgrim - that's a beautiful poem. Thank you. I'll search for it later so I can read the whole thing. Thanks for reading, as always.

ladyfarmerjed... he wrote to me this morning and said he sees a lovely moon over there in Malta. I asked for a picture.

hey, Outside.... awwwwww. Sweet to have that picture. Very nice. Sorry your great love lives so far away. Goodness. 3,000 miles.... might as well be a million some days, and then others, it probably feels like nothing. I hope the moon helps.

Myriad.... ohhhh, why indeed? He moved for love. His wife wanted to move there, and he loves her. He retired from a job he excelled at, sold their home, gave away or threw out 90% of his possessions, packed up their cats, and moved two weeks ago. So far he appears to be struggling, though really trying to make it work. I try to keep my messages supportive and hopeful that he will happily adapt. He doesn't know I blog on OS, so he'll never see my sad poems about him.

Thank you so much, Bill. May I be bold enough to ask for the whole poem? I like it very much so far. Thank you for your gentle words here.

That's a lovely story, lunchlady2. Thank you for sharing it. Your visit here is appreciated.

Thank you, Patrick. The night sky hold so many truths, doesn't it?

It would be both my honor and my pleasure:

http://open.salon.com/blog/bill_s/2009/01/05/pictures_and_poetry_sunset

This was beautiful, thanks.

Thanks so much, Cocoalfresco.

I looked up the distance from my city to Malta - we are exactly 5,432 miles apart now. But even with that, we agree that we see the same moon.

Thanks for reading.

I don't know who is luckier, him or the moon?

Romantic and transparently poetic.

Rated.

awwww, thank you, Thoth. Your comment made me feel good.

The moon came up tonight bright and white. It's like "daylight" outside here on a beautiful cool late summer evening in NC.

Sounds lovely, Grif. It's sort of golden here tonight.

I'm remembering the only time I was in NC - last May (2008) for a conference. I don't think I left the hotel long enough to see the moon. Dang it.

this lovely and honest. rules, schmules. i hope you leave it as is.

does anyone ever see the same thing in the same way? even if it is the moon?

hey, tbl4 - thanks for your nice words. I'll let it sit for a bit.

I don't think he and I ever saw the moon exactly the same, but there was something about looking at it at the same time that was cool. I'll miss that for us.

Poetry is whatever you think it is. There is poetry in the full moon tonight, this I know. There is poetry on your blog (and WHY would you delete it?), there is poetry in my backyard. Rated.

See her how she flies,
golden sails across the skies,
close enough to touch -
but careful, if you try
she looks as warm as gold;
the moon's a harsh mistress
the moon can be so cold

Judy Collins sings this song (The Moon's A Harsh Mistress) very well (must learn how to embed stuff). I sing this lullaby to babies, grandbabies, and my lover.

Thanks, dragonlady. I'm glad you visited.

Don't think I know that JC song, but I will look for it.