The Dark of the Moon.

The Silver Queen arises and wakes 

Her celestial journey she undertakes

Once again, from the dark of the moon 

She dances in harmony and in tune

A new moon will rise tomorrow night

Gradually changing from darkness to light

As she moves through the phases to first quarter

Faint flickers of light sparkling on water

A fox cries on a far away hill

Shattering the silence of the forest so still

A lonely lament or mating cries

It’s echo slowly fades and dies

Challenged by a dog in a nearby farm yard

Always defiant, alert and on guard

The hunters prefer a cloudy night

No moon to betray them in the half light

A parliament of rooks huddle in the trees

Sheltered and safe from the cold chilly breeze

Their shoulders hunched and curved

Muttering amongst them at being disturbed

Like a gathering of old men, backs bent, heads bowed

Yet alert for any danger ready to cry out loud 

Above them, She shyly peeps from behind a cloud

Waiting to reveal her face so beautiful and proud

A barn owl swoops, her wings barely whisper

A ghost in the night, a silent hunter

Her eyes searching for her prey

A hoard of creatures hide or scamper away

An angel of death, so her fledglings stay alive

In the never ending struggle to survive

While high above them in the night sky

Revealing more of herself, no longer timid or shy

Her odyssey continues She dances in tune

Until the wonderful sight of the Full Moon 

Throughout the night, across the sky she sails

A shimmering veil of gossamer she trails 

Gently caresses with shafts of silver light

Tenderly kisses land and sea, illuminating the night

Chasing shadows flicker and play

Until the breaking of a brand new day

C Denis Murphy 03 March 2021.

• The Dark of the Moon is the night before the New Moon .