Want to read a poem about the moon? Type “moon” and “poem” into your favorite search engine and let the fun begin as you wade through hundreds and hundreds of results.
The moon is one of the most popular and accessible symbols in poetry. We’ve all seen the moon, probably in all of its phases at some point. We’ve probably all thought about it, been surprised by its brightness on a cloudless night, maybe even watched it be eclipsed by the earth gliding between the moon and sun.
Consider all the ways one poet, the 17th century haiku master Matsuo Bashō, grappled with the moon. In the first haiku, the speaker invokes the moon for its absence, allowing us to imagine the darkness:
moonless night…
a powerful wind embraces
the ancient cedars
In the following poem, the moon is liquid, intensifying a calmer, even languid scene:
The pine tree of Shiogoshi
trickles all night long
shiny drops of moonlight
Here, along with fresh blossoms, the moon is the scent of a new season:
Spring air —
woven moon
and plum scent
Create a poem that invokes the moon in an unexpected way. How does it smell or taste? What it is thinking as you try to fall asleep? What does the moon see as we go about our lives? What does it do when we cannot see it?
Try a haiku if you’re brave, or allow yourself the expansion of free verse.
