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REVISITING THE LANE OF THE MESMERIZING MOON

“Star gazing is one of my favorite ways to entertain myself. I do it often when I visit my native village specially. There, on the roofless porch outside our bungalow I spend hours on star and moon gazing” Arastah Jannat Islam .

Special moments are many in my life. Inshallah, many will come across my way further. But the feeling and the experiencing I have had and the moment I have lived that evening, was something that is beyond explanation, at least by a person of my caliber. It was something,

I doubt, I will ever come across again in my life. However, I will always long for that sweet moment to repeat itself.

The night, the stars and moon, especially a full moon, always fascinates me. A dark blue sky, filled with stars and a big round moon is a view worth watching and admiring. Star gazing is one of my favorite ways to entertain myself. I do it often when I visit my native village specially. There, on the roofless porch outside our bungalow I spend hours on star and moon gazing. Either lying on the floor or sitting on a chair, leaning behind as much as the chair back could allow and my feet on the railing of the porch, I spent hours counting stars and speaking to the moon.

Beautiful would be an understatement if I have to say exactly. Something about the moon kept on diverting all my senses towards it. May be I haven’t been so close to the moon. And literally… It felt as if, if I stretched my arms through the car’s window I’ll be able to touch the moon.

That particular day was special though I don’t remember the year or date, but I still clearly remember the journey back from cousin’s paternal village. We were travelling by our ambassador, my cousin, her mom i.e. my aunt and me. It was a summer evening, but due to the daylong rainfall the weather was quite cool. The rain seemed to have washed the sky off the dark clouds and the stars were twinkling away and I felt like singing “Twinkle Twinkle Little Stars..”. And then the moon… a day or two back it was full moon day, if I’m not wrong. This was because the moon though seemed fully bloomed, it appeared old by a day or two. However, it looked beautiful. Beautiful would be an understatement if I have to say exactly. Something about the moon kept on diverting all my senses towards it. May be I haven’t been so close to the moon. And literally… It felt as if, if I stretched my arms through the car’s window I’ll be able to touch the moon. I thought I was falling in love with the moon all over again. I had no idea then and have no idea even now about whether it was the daylong merriment in the village and thus my merry mood, the weather or the clear sky, or the mere glow from the moon that was actually affecting me.

That day was like a sweet scented candle for me, which even after burning out lingers in the air. Everything was so simple and beautiful and of course..lots of fun! As we left the place, we and especially me, carried the beautiful feeling inside. The beauty of the feeling inside me as well as that I looked at was out of my league of expression. I fail for words. To try and establish them would mean belittling them. It might seem to be silly and exaggerating on my part to speak such but since I’m a person to find happiness in small things, the day was and still continues to be overwhelmingly happy and beautiful for me, I can go on and on, on that moment rather the day.

The industry smokes along with the smokes from the various machines is decolorizing the blue sky. Here the moon will not play hide and seek but will move around the sky touching skyscrapers amidst the dark smoke mingled air.

I watched the moon through the car’s window as the car moved on the narrow road with lush greenery on both sides and due to the rains the greenery seemed to have freshened further. I was not able to take my eyes off the moon. The beautiful moon in the clear blue sky was magically captivating. At least I haven’t experienced something like that before till date, a better view of the moon…. As we moved the moon played some sort of hide and seeks. Sometimes getting lost amidst the leaves of the trees and at times hiding behind the clouds. But I did not want to get lost of its sight!!!

Alas! A moment came when the car had to change direction and I lost sight of the moon, only a light could be seen in the sky.

Hold on!

Here appeared the moon again. I had no idea how long I have been staring at the moon. I lost track of time. And I could feel my neck is paining. My eyelids were dying to close themselves but my brain as if lost the connection with the other parts, was not able to command and the nerves seemed to get disabled. I was not able to blink my eyes leave apart stretching my neck muscles straight. I might miss the view! That was what my mind was telling me. My turned head strained my neck severely, but the gentle stroke of the moon seemed to turn all the pains into distant echo, making me forget every pain, every gloom of life. That was the power I can remember.

However, somewhere in a corner of my mind I felt a sinking note. This was not going to last forever. A few more moments and I’ll have to part with this heavenly feeling. I wished that day the road got stretched and the journey continued. I wished the car moved slowly and I keep on admiring the moon. But on the contrary, with each passing moment the length of the road shrunk. The car moved at quite a high speed and the time to part approached.

The beautiful moon and its soothing moonlight and the effect of the whole journey was extraordinarily relaxing, refreshing and out of this world. An ethereal feeling, as if a fairy sprinkling golden dust, there it is glimmering and glittering and snap…it’s gone.

I have always loved the moon and will continue to do so. Whenever I get an opportunity I do enjoy the moon and star gazing. But I may not get to experience this feeling again. As we moved towards the city the glow of the moon gradually got vague. The density of trees slowly got sparse, replaced by the concrete structures. The industry smokes along with the smokes from the various machines is decolorizing the blue sky. Here the moon will not play hide and seek but will move around the sky touching skyscrapers amidst the dark smoke mingled air. To add to my dismay as we were about to enter the city and we got stuck in traffic jam. After almost more than an hour the cars and buses seemed to move, however, with snail’s pace. It took more than two hours for us to move inside the city and reach our home.

At home, after freshening up as I lay on my bed I recalled the day, trying to relive it. The whole day…the smiles, chatters, fun and last but not the least the moon. The beautiful moon and its soothing moonlight and the effect of the whole journey was extraordinarily relaxing, refreshing and out of this world. An ethereal feeling, as if a fairy sprinkling golden dust, there it is glimmering and glittering and snap…it’s gone. But it continues to linger around you and your life. My mind was severely mesmerized by the mesmerizing sight of the mesmerizingly beautiful moon and it still is. The mesmerizing moon….

by Arastha Jannat Islam