By The Light of the Moon

Childhood joys under nature’s lamp

Growing up in South America, at night we relied on the light of the moon. Back then there were no lights except the light of the moon and the weak flame of a dying candle or a flambeau lamp.

The place was pitch black; you couldn’t even see your fingers in front of you.

Locals lived for the moonlight.

Fishing was one of the sustainable forms of food and finance and as such we overheard the fishermen speak in hushed tones about the pull of the moon on the tides.

Many other processes, biological and environmental, rely heavily upon the moon for regulation.

But for us kids, the moon was something to be revered, to hear the elders tell us scary otherworldly stories, and to play outside on those rare nights the adults allowed us some freedom.

The neighboring adults would visit each other, laughing and chatting on the stairs, keeping a watchful eye on us as we squealed and played.

The sky in Guyana is beautiful at night.

The pitch blackness of the surroundings brings out the vibrance of the sky and all its stared brilliance into prominent focus.

It is an awesome sight to behold. As kids, we found it enchanting and even a little bit terrifying.

There were so many stories in my childhood about moonlight and nighttime. The elders, I think, derived some perverse pleasure from scaring the children. Why else would they tell us all those unsettling stories?

One such story was about a tall creature called a moon gazer.

This creature was said to be an extremely tall and very slender giant of a man, and on moonlit nights can be seen standing by the light poles gazing up at the heavens. It is said that he spreads his endlessly long legs from one side of the street to another and if anyone dares to walk in between his legs, they would be crushed to death.

It was not a sign of good fortune to see this moon gazer.

Some of the residents claimed to have spied this creature, but I never searched for what I do not wish to see.

(Even my American friend from the south, 73 years old told me a similar story).

Why is he mesmerized by the moon? I never thought to ask.

The moon provided us with light so bright, it almost looked like daylight.

Those were good times.

All in all, I have so many good memories from childhood. Running and playing by the light of the moon.

My grandmother loved to visit her siblings when the moon was full. That was fun. The downside was that we would have to walk home in the wee hours of the morning after the adults had filled our heads with stories of evil spirits.

We would walk in front of the adults terrified of every rustle in the grass.

On some moonlit nights, we played rounders, a game in which we formed a circle and hit a ball with a bat while we ran from pen to pen.

Other times we would lay on the grass looking at the sky and dream big dreams.

Playing those nights by the light of the moon gave birth to some deep and lasting bonds. And to this day whenever I am to visit, I can hardly stay still from the anticipated excitement.

These days, I dream of, and long for, a simpler time, when we lived with childlike wonder and abandon under the light of nature’s moonlight.

Check out our wonderful editor and great friend, Dr. Preeti Singh’s story where she wrote so passionately about the moon and the many feelings it evokes in us.

and

My dear friend, Mulan talks about the time she stayed up sky-gazing with her partner and reaped the wonderful rewards of gentleness and love.

Thank you for reading, I value your time greatly.