Garth Dutton

Night Without Moon, Then With Moon – A Poem

“Night Without Moon, Then With Moon” is the opening poem in “A Day In Melbourne” a book of poetry written in a 24 hour period while at a conference in Melbourne.

Night Without Moon, Then With Moon
© Garth Dutton 2004

Beyond Tailem Bend,
seen through the window of
the night bus to Melbourne,
stars hang suspended,
bright, clear,
in a very black sky.
If the stars were music,
they’d be up-front in the mix.
But at Bordertown,
a half-moon comes up,
its bright side
pointing east to the morning sun.
When I was a child,
it took years
to work that one out…
Before full moon
the lighted part points west
to the setting sun.
After full moon,
the lighted part points east
to the rising sun.
Weird, even now…
Like how,
at full moon,
as the sun goes down
the moon comes up.
As I say,
weird, even now…
The blackness of night has gone.
The half-moon
now fills the sky
with silvery-creamness.
Only the brightest stars
survive.

Tags: adelaide, garth dutton, melbourne, poem, poet, Poetry, verse

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