THE HALF MOON by Christina Rossetti

(Submitted by Lynda Vargas)

Last night, holding hands, my husband and I admired the full moon...

Together, we watched as the moon illuminated our home from the window above our front door. I thought of our son in New York, seeing the same moon reflecting on the East River, our daughter in Seattle walking her dog under the same moon, and our daughter in Florida gazing at the same full moon through the tall trees from her bedroom windows. It brought me a feeling of peace, knowing that we all share the same sense of awe when we see the moon in its wonderful fullness.

The moon teaches me that what is missing will soon appear, what is lacking will be fulfilled, what is partial will be made whole, what is dark will be made light. Then, again, what is complete will again disintegrate, what is whole will break up, what is gained will be lost, what is perfect will disappoint, what is joy will fade into sorrow. Then, ever so slowly, peace, beauty, love, and light return again. Always. Forever.

In the following poem by Christina Rossetti, (1830-1894), we feel the unending pendulum swing between joy and sorrow, success and defeat, completeness and incompleteness, as being natural to us, as part of the divine order of creation.

The Half Moon

By Christina Rossetti

The half moon shows a face of plaintive sweetness

Ready and poised to wax or wane;

A fire of pale desire in incompleteness,

Tending to pleasure or to pain: ---

Lo, while we gaze she rolleth on in fleetness

To perfect loss or perfect gain.

Half bitterness we know, we know half sweetness;

The world is all on wax, on wane:

When shall completeness round time’s incompleteness,

Fulfilling joy, fulfilling pain?

Lo, while we ask, life rolleth on in fleetness

To finished loss or finished gain.

Moonlit Night by Betsy A. Cutler

Lynda Grace Vargas is a retired foreign language and elementary school teacher who loves romance languages and opera. She lovingly dedicated most of her life to being a full time mother to her three children and editing her husband’s law books. Growing up as a Patrick, one of the most well know families of professional ice hockey players and coaches, Lynda spent much of her youth performing in figure skating shows. She holds degrees from Vassar College and USD in education and lives in San Diego with her husband of 50 years where they enjoy a vegetarian lifestyle, reading, watching hummingbirds and the simple pleasures in life.

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