Unmindful of the clouds,
Gibbous and pale yellow,
Incongruously cheery,
Vulgar and happy moon,
Squarely in my face now,
As if the nimbus ring were a halo
“How has it been?” he asks
His diffuse wan smile spread on my weary skin
“O moon, today is a milestone.
Today, I turned pessimist.”
He possibly waved aside a wisp of mist
And may have had an eyebrow cocked
I even imagined a sardonic smile as he said,
“It took you so long, my friend,
My patience was wearing thin,
You are nearly the last to give in.
Most, by now, live amicably with the sin.”
“Species have come and gone,
You’ve seen civilizations arise and vanish,
Pristine and elegant, tawdry and garish,
One after another, they all perish.
I fear, now, we are done for.
Tell me, is this a given?”
“Yes, it is.”
“So, you, too, are a pessimist?”
“Oh no, I am an optimist,
It’s just you,
You stopped being a source of joy.
I am happy for you, though,
You’ve shed the impossible hope,
The rest of your existence will be
Free of this burden.”
