get the June 2014 108 page cc&d magazine
2003-2009 anniversary
issue supplement collection 6" x 9" ISBN#
paperback book:
TWO MASTERS
Richard Fein
Like moths we were once guided by the moon.
But unlike the ephemeral moth
our sheer longevity confers a grudging wisdom.
Each time we see Mistress moon's face
lighten, then darken, then lighten again,
a generation of moths spreads its wings, mates, and dies.
Now master sun is our metronome.
His circling shadow is sectioned into hours.
He drives us on with an allegro beat.
Mistress moon moves to an adagio of monthly cycles.
She deigns to let us study her cool, white face,
as she watches over our nocturnal trysts.
Master sun is a strict foreman rousing everyone to work every day.
He sears the eyes of anyone sassy enough to stare at him.
A jealous emperor of the heavens,
he drowns all lesser lights in pervasive blue.
But Mistress shares the universe with us,
letting all celestial companions shine around her.
Long ago a choice was made,
and now we are prodded forward by the hours,
by shadows passing in circles,
rather than slowly dancing under a lunar face
that gracefully veils and unveils monthly.