Photo by John McKaveney: Bright Moon
(used with permission)
Rough Old Gal
Pockmarked and balding
she spins in flux through
sunshines and shadows.
She’s a rough old gal
a steady satellite
I’ve learned to
hitch my rope to.
She’s got my back.
This-here John fella
snapped her in her glory.
Isn’t it funny how we love
to cover up and mask
ourselves, but with her
we want to see it all.
Lillian is today’s host for dVerse’ Poetics. Lillian has shared 4 excellent photos taken by John McKaveney, a friend of hers. The challenge today is to choose one of the photos and write a poem.

I love it, Lisa. But… we never see her backside!! :>)
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LOL!
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Wow, Dwight, I learned something new today. I thought the album name “Dark Side of the Moon” was just a relative thing to the seasons but so strange the same side always faces us. Now I have something new to ponder.
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Ha ha… the key is alway leave a little mystery to ponder!
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“Pockmarked and balding“– the gal takes a beating and keeps on spinning, and we just can’t get enough of this “steady satellite.” Love your take on the prompt, Lisa.
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Dora, she is like an old friend. I remember walking with her as a kid and thinking she was walking alongside me.
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I remember the same as a kid, that feeling of being watched over. Something most children have felt I imagine. But what a gift!
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A shared experience that builds community.
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Love that. No small miracle in a world that needs such miracles.
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<3
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Great tribute… the tides thank you.
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Thanks much, Max.
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A very realistic look at the moon.
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Thanks, Sadje!
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My pleasure 😊
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And still at times, she shields herself behind the shadow of ourselves…
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<3
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I love your down-to-earth view of the ‘Rough Old Gal’, Lisa! You made me smile at her ‘pockmarked and balding’ – she is indeed ‘a steady satellite’ we want to see in all her glory.
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Thanks so much, Kim <3
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You’re welcome, Lisa!
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What a fun poem, Lisa. Glad this here John fella gave us this photo to inspire you to write it!
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:) Thanks, Judy. Me too!
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LOVE the easy manner of this poem….”pockmarked and balding” yep. And including John in the poem in such a conversational way…ending with a question too. Almost a conversational tone to it! Love it!
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I feel a great affection for Lady Luna. To see her up close like this inspired the poem. Thank you, Lillian, and thanks again to John for letting us write to his images.
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So, it’s not a MAN in the moon. It’s a WOMAN :)
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Correctamundo, or he’s very trickily dressed ;)
p.s. I will get to your MMB this week but still playing catchup on prompts.
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No rush
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Know full well I should not ‘go’ there … I could not stop comparing myself to her. Great write, Lisa.
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Helen, she is my mirror, so please see her beauty. Thank you so much.
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The moon’s rough surface is part of her charm…(K)
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Indeed, K!
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Like all rough old girls, she always has your back when it counts.
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<3
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Full moons are best, but any piece of the moon is good too! I was just reading about something concerning the moon… that if possible humans might mine oxygen from her… that is beneath her crust. She just gives and gives. Even as she moves further away from us.
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Jules, I learned from Dwight that she only shows one half of herself to us. Now I’m learning from you she is moving further away from us. So fascinating to think the moon can be a source of oxygen for earthlings.
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I guess I didn’t get the whole story… but I looked this up – so it might be right after all.
I had realized a long time ago that the moon didn’t rotate since I always seemed to see the same image on full moon nights – the face or Bunny ;) But on a Star Talk with Neil DeGrasse Tyson that was confirmed.
“It is theoretically possible to make oxygen on the Moon”, says Karen Sende Osen, who is a Senior Research Scientist at SINTEF. “The lunar surface is covered in sand composed of metals and oxygen”, says Olsen. “If we can extract the oxygen from this sand, it can be used by astronauts to breathe”, she says.Jan 19, 2023
As far as the moon moving; “… Laser ranging measurements of the change in the distance from the Earth to the Moon tell us that the Moon is moving away from the Earth at a rate of about 3.78 cm per year.” So just a little bit.
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Thanks for filling in details, Jules. Much appreciated. I have to wonder if the moon sand is composed of O2 what the other component(s) is/are. And if we extract the O2 from the sand, what does it become (curious chemists want to know.) About the movement, 3.78 cm/yr doesn’t seem too alarming, but what do I know ;)
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I think many, many human generations may pass through… We (as a whole) aren’t that old in this universe.
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Ooh! I love it, Li. She is good old gal. ❤️
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Punam, she sure is <3
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This is hands-down fabulous!!!
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V, thanks!
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You’re most welcome!!
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She is our beautiful muse after all!
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<3
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I love your description of the moon!🌕
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Why thank ya, ma’am :)
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