The Lion in the Moonlight

poetry, Uncategorized, writing 1 Minute
5734302421_9e8deb4b94
unknown photographer

The Lion in the Moonlight

We wait,
like the lion in the moonlight,
not in expectation but
Surrender, Grace,
longing for the gifts that hover
just beyond our grasp
hoping for an invitation,
the magic hour begins
the veil briefly lifted.

Darkness defines Light,
dew, the momentary threshold
releases our trembling fragility
“the shimmering of the web”
this alchemy of dawn,
dimensions where words wait
just beyond
the moment being witnessed.

remove the shoes of the past
the door was always open

Enter.

unknown photographer

westcoastwoman 2020

Published by westcoastwoman

A story or poem follows me around for a while, I write it down to get it out of my head and sometimes after rereading it seems universal enough that I hope it might also speak to someone else. One thing that has become clear is the photography and the writing seem to be morphing into one, the photograph being the muse for the words or the words for the photograph.....and then a quote I find from someone who had the talent to put what I am trying to say into a few precise sentences.

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14 thoughts on “The Lion in the Moonlight”

    1. Thank you so much, it has been following me around for a few days. The inspiration to write it came in a comment I made to Rachel
      “in mind and out” and she suggested i use the line in a poem. So, thank you Rachel.

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  3. well done! “our trembling fragility” a great line that reminds me of The song “Fragile” by Sting.

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    1. “how fragile we are” indeed, thank you for that. the trembling fragility came to me when thinking of “the shimmering of the web” and the amazing photography of the web and the dragon fly.

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  4. Such vivid imagery. So much silence. Holding one’s breath for the mystery to unfold. For us to enter it. Beautiful! I love this part: “dimensions where words wait just beyond the moment being witnessed.” The heart witnesses, experiences that transforming threshold, then the mind tries to express in words that which is inexpressible. Maybe that accounts for these contradictory expressions earlier on where you write, “not in expectation” then “longing and “hoping for” that unseen invitation? Not a criticism, just trying to understand what I later saw as a contradiction and am trying to reconcile it in my male rational mind.

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    1. Hi Ken Thanks as always for taking the time to really read into the words.
      I was trying to describe what I think ultimately is ineffable.
      There is an hour, just at dawn that photographers and writers (probably all creatives) describe as the magic hour.
      You can be in attendance at dawn but depending on your state of mind the gift of the moment can be elusive. To enter it without expectation ( I see expectation as very different from longing and hope), longing and hope are ephemeral to me.
      To receive that invitation, accept and then arrive in the state of Grace where the gift can come ‘through us’ and not ‘from us ‘ “the shimmering of the web” before the sun evaporates the dew……. is the reply to both the hope and the longing.
      The door is always open…..but I find that most times the threshold very hard to find.

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  5. Hi Janet. Thank you for this further explanation. I get it. A very clear understanding of this mysterious Grace. So, what appeared as a paradox is that which is truly ineffable. I see the distinction now. And as you say, that gift comes through us, not from us (no ego). We feel blessed to have been allowed to receive it, to participate in it. Some of my poems, or parts of them, have been “written” that way. I remember writing a metapoem about it, https://theuncarvedblog.com/2011/01/16/sometimes-poetry-happens-a-poem-about-the-mystery-of-creativity/.

    As for the “Golden Hour,” a couple I know took pictures of many iron grates for drainage, which they later discovered had a trout embossed on them. All the water and chemicals eroded the iron in different ways. There’s a whole magical story to it. When the photos that he took during this “magic hour” were blown up on a computer, they revealed an amazing world of color on and around those trout! It was totally unexpected, and different from the other pictures taken during other times of the day. The quality of the light during golden hour allowed that to be revealed. They made them into art prints. I see some of their work is now being represented by FASO. They posted a selection of their work on their website: http://goldenhour.faso.com.

    That photograph of the dragonfly and spiderweb is beautiful! Another photographer friend of mine took a series of spiderweb photos filled with dew during that seasonal early morning time. You can see a selection here: http://www.jimdavisimages.com/spider-webs. One of the photos not included there was published in a local bank calendar. It inspired a haiku. He gave me permission to include it in my blog post. https://theuncarvedblog.com/2015/12/11/natures-jewelry-haiku-inspired-by-photograph/.

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  6. WOW.
    This truly is amazing. You took that dimension just beyond words , and gave it the most beautiful words… laced in with dew and grace and made it tangible. Every line of this has a peace and serenity and a magic to it

    “Darkness defines the Light
Dew the momentary threshold”

    Those lines just leave me speechless.

    And these: 
“Remove the shoes of the past
    the door was always open
Enter.”

    I love this poem, so much. It is stunningly beautiful. I will save this to come back to ♥️

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