good morning, moon

The moon has been making fabulous appearances lately. Last night it was a giant harvest moon, big as the sun. This morning it's more normal-sized, but I can see every shadow on its surface. It's the only thing in our pristine morning sky, besides our low winter smog. Kids are kind of crazy and I'm not sleeping. The tides are probably up. I wonder if any of you are out there, watching it as I am.

Once the husband was in Singapore and he rang me. In the middle of a yawn, he mentioned the sun was just rising. For me, it was just sinking. There was a little silence on the line. It made us realize, of course, just how far away we were from one another, but also how close. When you share celestial bodies, the world becomes very small.

I started paying more attention to the moon when I wrote Hinterland, because that world has seven moons. Each representing a god, they become characters in the story. They observe, ignore, condone, or disapprove. As the story progresses, Sean looks to them more and more for guidance, signifying his growing belief in the gods, and in himself. Their presence unifies the characters and reminds them of their base humanity...and their greatness.

This morning the moon is watching me. I wonder what it's thinking.