Snuggling into a sleepy pillow, I look at your hoary. You look like some ocean's all silver-grey foxes has returned to its bosom. Heavy cloud cover was obscuring my view for long time, but I knew you would surface for this conversation. NASA said you should appear brighter, happier, redder, bigger than usual today. But you have a mind of your own and I understand if you would like to dress down.
You look a little duller as a matter of fact. No, you can't blame pollution always for everything wrong with you.
Good, you decided to change. You look too clear now. Where are your scars? Okay, we will not talk about that today.
Scientists think that there might be an ocean of super hot water under Neptune's cold clouds. Do the clouds around you are friends with Neptunian clouds? Are you a friend of Neptune? After all, that planet is named after the original Roman God of the Sea, Latin Neptunus.
What! I just moved a bit to get charger and you turned into this. Look, can't deal with this ever-shifting...well, honestly, forget about it...you look gorgeous!
Yes, so where was I? Er...your beauty has distracted me big time. Wait, why are you removing the yellow tassel?
Anyway, do what you please. Let me focus. So I was asking how did you get your name?
The word mōna, an Old English word from medieval times, has anything to do with it? Mōna shares its origins with the Latin words metri, which means 'to measure', and 'mensis' (month). You are new every month indeed. Today you are called 'super flower blood moon!' Quite a mouthful, huh?
In 1610, when Galileo discovered that Jupiter has moons (lo, Europa, Ganymede and Callisto), how disappointed you did feel? Until then you were reigning the throne as the single moon of solar system. Now Jupiter has 53 named moons and another 26 awaiting official names. As earth's natural satellite, you don't enjoy any fancy name. You are moon. Plain and simple. Why International Astronomical Union has been so unimaginative when it comes to you? Let me tell you something. They carefully coin names after Greek deities when it comes to moons of other planets.
No, I don't intend to make you feel disappointed. Anyway, it's more of earth's ignominy than yours'. We human beings always normalize and take for granted what we have. We take special interest in what others' have.
'Why?', well, don't ask this to anyone else. You'll get mostly different variants of the same response: 'It is what it is.' Just like your change of appearance. You now decided to don a pale orange hat. No justification.
Talking about your another pet peeve, do those minimoons who temporarily orbit in a complicated trajectory around earth bother you, specially when earthlings start jumping in excitement 'Look, we have more than one moon!'? Or you feel even more lonely when they leave earth's gravitational field to become asteroid once again? Do you silently shed tears, feeling afflicted for eternity by this cosmic loneliness? Being anonymous and feeling lonely are quite different, I understand.
Wait, where are you..no no...wait...what...you're gone again! Sorry, I forgot my promise of not talking about your scars today.
PhotoStory Date: 26.5.2021
Place: Bangalore
Words and Photograph: Amrita Ghosh
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