155. Staircase to the Moon

We wait anxiously, restless among the broken
shells that make up a large swath of the beach,
ready to watch the full moon glow red-orange
and peak over the horizon of the water at low
tide. The light will reflect off the bay, broken
where the mudflats intercept the moonbeam.

To our left, the flare from the natural gas plant
burns brighter in the dark before the moon rises.
To our right lay the bright lights for the choir
and the sound systems that feeds a steady stream
of natural wave sounds as if we'd forget
that the waterline is too far out to hear it.
Behind us, headlights and flashlights streak
across the path, through our vision, and people
chatter restlessly for the natural scene to begin.

Once the moon does rise, a spry red presence
in the Eastern sky, the voices halt for a moment
before the flashes start going, failing to capture
the play of darkness and light across the bay.