I chose the name for my channel and blog for reasons beyond the simple idea of “moonlighting.” I think that the image of moonlight lends itself to many interesting metaphorical angles that I can relate to my views on the power and role of art and beauty in our lives. Here’s an original poem I wrote that explores some of these ideas.

The silver-white
Bright orb ascends, a spark
Birthed from the earth’s enduring, cradled womb,
Like Lazurus emerging from his tomb,
As we feel through the dark
In search of light.

Its warming sheen,
A wool-soft blanket drawn
Across the frigid and oppressive gloom,
Illuminates the night and pierces through
The dim landscape and on
To every tree

That blocks the way.
It carves a path we see
And beckons us to trace its glory through
The maze of bristled, clawing branches to
Peer towards that land that we
May reach one day.

And yet, despite
Its luminescent gleam,
We know that its faint glow enveloped by
The dark (in vivid, vibrant shades) will die
And consummate our dreams
In dazzling light.

O lunar guide
That outshines stars that men
Beseeched on their long voyages at sea,
What will you say, what visions shall we see
As we also begin
Our homeward flight?