Enjoy your Easter Lillies, haijin? Congratulations to last week’s contributors:

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Onward!

We often savor the full moon. Many past #haikai challenges called for poems on various ones throughout the year. But what about the New Moon?

In modern astronomy, the New Moon is when the Sun and Moon are aligned, with the Sun and Earth on opposite sides of the Moon.

There are several reasons why it is impossible for us to see the New Moon in the sky.

The alignment of the Sun, the Moon, and Earth, leaves the side of the Moon that faces Earth in complete darkness. Technically, this is called a conjunction or Syzygy in the Sun-Earth-Moon system (see illustration).

In addition, the New Moon rises and sets around the same time as the Sun, bringing it too close to the Sun’s glare to be seen with the naked eye.

We can see more stars on a clear night during the new moon. When overnight clouds obscure them, there’s something almost primeval about facing the darkness of a moonless night.

We certainly live in new moon times, don’t we?

This week, write the haikai poem of your choice (haiku, senryu, haibun, tanka, haiga, renga, etc.) that alludes to the new moon.

As always:

Here’s how the challenge works:

1. write the haikai poem of your choice.
2. post the link of your post to Mister Linky.
3. pingback by posting the link to the challenge on your site.
4. read and comment on other contributors’ posts.

Savor the stars you see the night of the New Moon, haijin!