I see the bad moon rising, I see trouble on the way
I see earthquakes and lightning, I see those bad times today.
Don't go out tonight, well it's bound to take your life
There's a bad moon on the rise.
(A digression: I thought that song was about the Vietnam war but the internet tells me it was written after seeing a film about a hurricane and the apocalypse. Or about fear of becoming a werewolf. There's no knowing what the internet will tell you.)
Cover drawing by me. Typography by Elizabeth Lang.
I do know that the list of bad or stressful experiences of the last week is coincidence or things that happen as a consequence of stress, but really after a few events lining up one starts to feel like a distant ancestor cowering in a cave wondering what one has done to offend the gods, or the fairies, or the spirits. One moment everyone is fine and then suddenly they're not, and then because you're not happy you get grumpy about other stuff and then it gets worse and then someone's phone gets stolen and all that fuss and bother and then my mother aged old enough to know better but refreshingly doesn't feel that way runs for a bus and misses the step, rolls (gracefully, she tells us) on the road grazing her arms badly (but no other harm done). And if it hasn't happened to us personally, but another family member, well, we still feel it for them.
It started to feel like the song. Don't go out. There's a bad moon on the rise.
But strangely, all the time these bad things are happening there are also good things occurring. It's like living in two overlapping worlds, and it's quite difficult to process inside your mind. Let me elaborate:
I attend a lovely book launch for three books including my latest novel for teenagers and at the same time stressed phone calls are going on. I leave a job that I stayed in for a long time, probably too long, to render myself once again a more satisfied artist without regular income - and at the same time it's sad to leave and I don't like the thought of my colleagues and clients missing me, and me missing them (and I suppose there's the money - though almost immediately a little something comes up). We go to a farewell dinner, and the stolen phone incident happens at the same time, experienced once more by distressing phone call during a celebration. I get to sing some of my favourite songs at the farewell dinner (with added special two-recorder performance) (I like singing and playing the recorders), but it's all a bit sad and nearly everyone wants to cry (because I like sad songs and oddly they seem sorry to see me go). I feel a sense of optimism because it was time for a change, but the shopping list of sad and bad things pulls away at it like a hyena eating a wildebeest...
It's best not to be superstitious. I'll go out, but beware of the moon.
 |
| This picture is called "Sailor and Ropemonster". Ink and watercolour. |
Comments
Post a Comment