The Birth of the Moon
Birth of the Moon
The Moon claims a history
studded by deities with genealogies
celebrated by the cultural mosaic crafting
the patchwork of her living-mother Earth.
In the teenage years of the Universe
Earth was proto-Earth - primitive, youthful, foolish -
smitten with the glowing body of Theia
who sped towards her lover, unknowing.
A cosmic collision of two fierce women,
planetary visions desperate with infatuation,
sharing a kiss of vaporizing devotion
that left a visible heartache on Earth.
The impact was a galactic cataclysm,
as Theia burst into dust
and Earth was left scorched
from the intense heat of their final embrace.
The rubble of their love affair melded together -
Theia's final act to birth Selene,
the Greek pseudonym for the Moon,
child of Earth's greatest passion.
Artistic impression by Joe Tucciarone of the Cosmic Collision
Cosmic Collision
Earth was pimpled with eruptions,
volcanoes bursting forth from beneath
skin to feed her desire for warmth.
She was ravenous, soaked in the remains
of past lovers who failed to offer the thrill
Earth demanded to feel thrum in her iron veins.
Theia was a cavern, filled with poisonous rain
that swelled in her caves, casting waves
to beat against her icy core with solitary tears.
She was loneliness, consumed by the crash
of frigid waters swallowing her drop-by-drop,
as a woman drowning in her own compulsion to destroy.
A vision of lightning streaked the planetary system
with the roar of thunder, the crack of rock splintered,
and for a moment, the hiss of lava meeting ice
mirrored the brevity of true love's greeting.
Earth was red, Theia was blue,
and they smeared the universe with purple glaze.
Perhaps this violent violet romance is their reference
when people say, laughter in empty eyes,
"Go out with a bang!"
Image from Pinterest
Selene
Child of Earth and Theia,
the Moon is ashen-grey
with scars from a lovers' soiree
that left a barren daughter in disarray.
Call her, that bright ballon,
Selene,
named by the Greek as goddess
of her own body, shining round in the sky.
Selene is beautiful,
though the intensity of her parent's love
left her barren and marred with craters,
empty of particles to spur life.
Selene is powerful,
singing a siren-song so waves crest high,
fall down low, and she sinks ships
and drowns continents with vigor.
Selene is home,
a rocky terrain covered in dust
but her embrace is soft
as I lay my head down to rest.
The Lunar Cycle
Selene, Luna, Artemis -
names spilled by foreign tongues
that she does not want to hear.
Earth sees her daughter turn,
split into crescents as she searches
for the purple sea of Theia.
Earth watches the darkness consume
the still-grieving child of her womb
as she looks for the glow of a cold smirk.
in want for hands both burning and freezing
but she does not find what she seeks.
Waxing, waxing, waxing,
she grows bright with hope
until greeted by a familiar grin.
Earth smiles lovingly at the fullness
of her daughter's round globe,
but the Moon is lost in sorrow.
Waning, waning, waning,
she narrows with despair
in search of an unknown figure.
Selene, Luna, Artemis -
she is like Theia, she is loneliness,
consumed by her own solitary tears.
The Gate of Knowledge by Noa Knafo
Author's Note:
The theories of the moon's formation are dominated by the Giant Impact Theory. It was first suggested by George Darwin in 1898. Darwin felt that the most-likely explanation for the Earth-Moon system was the result of a "cosmic collision." The poem is meant to reflect the story of the moon's "birth" as well as informing about the scientific discoveries that were apart of understanding how the moon came to be. The mars-sized Theia crashed into Proto-Earth, and the resulting rubble formed the Moon.
Bibliography:
- How the Moon was Born. Garber, Megan. The Atlantic. Oct. 17, 2012.
P.S. There's something you should know...
Cosmic Collision is a poem about Theia and Earth falling/crashing in love. I gave Theia (and the Moon) the physical appearance of coldness because she does not carry life - unlike Earth who does, which is why I portrayed her with warm imagery.
I wanted to give Theia a larger role than simply being Earth's lover so I also added The Lunar Cycle. I use this poem to both explain the "why" behind the Moon's waxing and waning in a way that goes with the storyline and secondly to give Theia the role of the lost mother, of someone Selene is searching for but will never find.