I See The Moon
🎵I see the moon
the moon sees me
God bless the moon
and God bless me 🎵
paint if you can the picture
on a moonlit and star studded night
four brothers running gleefully around a small compound in a suburb in Lagos Nigeria
looking up at the sky
chanting breathlessly
without a care in the world
but the dinner dishes left unwashed in the kitchen sink
the ‘I see the moon’ chant was a chant we sung
as we tried to outrun the moon
it was one of me and brothers’ favorite past times on days when the power was out
when there was no TV to keep us occupied or homework to give us headaches
we’d go outside into our moonlit compound
and try to outrun the moon
but no matter how fast or far we ran
the moon always seemed to be at the same position in the sky
as I got older I understood why the moon didn’t move
And the magic and wonder was gone
yet I still look back at those days with such nostalgia
especially on days so filled with smog that I couldn’t see the moon
And the moon couldn’t see me
on days when we weren’t running and chanting
we’d share moon light stories
stories of good and evil
stories like ‘How the tortoise cracked its shell’
we’d plan ways to sneak into the compound next to ours to climb that mango tree
the one decorated with loosely hanging ripe red green mangoes
we never did climb that tree but whenever we did eat mangoes we’d eat them whole:
skin and flesh
mum encouraged us to eat the skin because it had a chemical called quinine
and quinine combats malaria
that way we wouldn’t have to take the nasty malaria pills
or go get expensive injections
fast forward to the day a few years back when a friend saw me devouring a mango:
skin and flesh
she told me not to do that because the skin must have so many harmful chemical residues from fertilizers and pesticides
that moment still stays with me
the world is changing
and a certain kind of magic was fading
I often reflect on these experiences
and think of what life must be like for kids growing up now
and what life would be like for generations to come
it seems there will be less nature and more technology
less blue skies and more smoggier days
less exposure to the magic that nature holds
I think it’s easy to feel helpless and like we can’t really make a difference
but I realize that that isn’t true and I make a conscious effort it my daily life to reduce my carbon footprints
I try to eat less or no beef: which is the meat that harms the environment the most:
I try to reuse bags, ride a bike, because the little things do count.
and on every clear night sky when I can see the moon
I try to take a moment and be grateful
as I reminsce on my childhood
watching the moon
as it watches me too
1 Comment
Join the discussion and tell us your opinion.
Those were good times-with good vibes
The world is changing too fast most times-but if we hold on to self we can ride out the tide of change-the world goes in circles and hopefully it would circle back to when Wei see the moon and the moon sees us