Monday, May 19, 2008

glad moon rising

Usually I am supremely wary of the full moon. People tend to be in peculiar moods and by "people" I mean everyone but me.

Yet I faced the day, even substituting for the teacher who uses my classroom first period (meaning I had to get out of bed and be at school at least 45 minutes earlier).

I wore a new skirt confidently, not even minding the stark surprise in a student's tone when she said "You look so pretty today!"

I boldly required Leadership groups to present their projects to the class - and there was no balking. There was even, dare I say it, introspection.

My room actually has air conditioning that works, I found out today.

Stu took the kids to Science & Math Night while I stayed home and cleaned like a lunatic. [Do lunatics really clean stuff? That seems very unlikely] Laundry sorted and half finished; basketfull of lingering clean clothes folded and put away; kitchen counters cleaned; dishes in sink washed, dishwasher loaded; items dusted; floors swept; random bits of this & that put here & there [where they're supposed to go].

And while I was home growing pleased with myself, a former neighbor called to ask if her daughter could stay at our house for the night. I haven't seen the girl in five years - she was 13 when they moved far away - and now she's going to the community college in town; something uncomfortable is going down at her current residence and she needed to get away temporarily. Not only am I glad to help out, it's a joy to see her again as a grown-up young woman. And rewarding, too - I used to tutor her in math and now she tutors kids.

SHINE on, O moon of summer.
Shine to the leaves of grass, catalpa and oak,
All silver under your rain to-night.
An Italian boy is sending songs to you to-night from an accordion.
A Polish boy is out with his best girl; they marry next month; to-night they are throwing you kisses.
An old man next door is dreaming over a sheen that sits in a cherry tree in his back yard.
The clocks say I must go--I stay here sitting on the back porch drinking white thoughts you rain down.
Shine on, O moon,
Shake out more and more silver changes.
~ Carl Sandburg, "Backyard"