Even if we can pluck the moon from the sky, we probably shouldn’t

A writing prompt from the dVerse Poet’s Pub this week was intriguing and required some thought before I was finally able to craft a response. Writers were challenged by this week’s host, Mish, to use one line from a poem by Helen Hoyt, “You cannot pluck moonlight to bring in your pocket!” and create a prose piece with a limit of 144 words. It was sooooo tempting to go with a standard romantic route for moonlight, to complement the ‘new love’ theme of the original poem, but it felt like it could be a whimsical children’s story that reflects on my time with my brother, who has been on my mind lately. Here’s the Helen Hoyt poem Mish shared, October letter, shown in an image from the prompt details.

I truly appreciate the emotional growth that happens as a result of thinking in the new ways these writing prompts demand.

Here’s my story.

The moon doesn’t belong to us

My brother and I snuck away from the house on the first night we lived at the beach, when I was 10 and he was 7. We sat on the dunes under the full moon, and I wanted to keep the moon  forever. All pompous (as little brothers are), he declared, “You cannot pluck moonlight to bring in your pocket!”

“Can’t we?”, I asked, and, reaching waaaaaaay up, grabbed the silvery orb. I DID put it in my pocket. It glowed but then the sky was empty and lacking – and my brother was sad. This was my first understanding that while we CAN do things, sometimes we SHOULDN’T.

Reluctantly, I reached into my pocket, gently grabbed the moon, and blew it back into the sky with a kiss.

My brother looked at me, sighed, and said, “I knew you would know what to do.”

Here’s the dVerse prompt.

I hope you will go and read a poem or two, and that the experience is just as growth-producing for you as it has been for me.

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