Bark at the Moon
I’m not very good with mechanical things. Once in my student days, a pal and I broke down on the way to an Ozzy Ozbourne concert. You may be wondering what on earth we were doing going to see Ozzy but I’d argue that that’s exactly the sort of retrospectively dubious activity that you should be doing when you’re young.
My parents used to know one of his uncles who was a university lecturer circa the time that he accidentally bit the head off a live bat on stage which created quite an uproar in the press. Apparently someone in the crowd threw it onto the stage and he just thought it was a rubber one. I’m sure you can imagine just how embarrassed this nice middle-class family were by such rock ‘n’ roll escapades but I digress …
So, we’re stranded at the side of the road and we just about manage to figure out that it’s a flat battery. We find another car, are busy setting up the jump leads, my pal’s revving up the engine of the other car and I just have to work out where to put the leads. Touching them together was probably not the best idea I’ve ever had but it certainly jolted me out of my Sunday morning student hangover. Anyway, we finally got the car started, made it to the concert in time and had a great time mixing it with the bat wielding, long-haired, head banging throngs.
“Full autumn moon -
on the straw mat,
pine shadow.”
book: The Penguin Book of Zen Poetry, Kikaku
Back in the old days, before heavy metal made it to Japan, they didn’t use to bark at the full moon, they used to arrange intimate drinking parties with friends. They used to sit quietly sipping sake, maybe sharing a few stories, marveling at the splendor of the moon and challenging each other to write short haiku to capture the beauty of the moment. I guess things degenerated as the night wore on and more sake was consumed but it’s such a great idea.
“Such a moon -
the thief
pauses to sing.”
book: The Penguin Book of Zen Poetry, Buson
I love this poem, they even had a better class of criminal in those days. Can you imagine a burglar pausing these days to stop and look at the moon?
“Miles of frost -
on the lake
the moon’s my own.”
book: The Penguin Book of Zen Poetry, Buson
I think we should reinstitute the moon viewing party. A great excuse to spend time with friends outside, gazing at the stars, hypnotized by the moon and thinking far away thoughts.
Matsumoto Castle is a very imposing black and white structure that rises over a sweeping bend in the river. When hostilities died down, the samurai needed to find something to soothe their burdened souls and so they built a 月見櫓 Tsukimi-yagura – a moon viewing watchtower on the side of the castle. Similarly, I think it’s about time we started taking moon viewing more seriously again. People still get excited by the energy of a sunrise or the drama of a sunset but I think we need to be hosting full moon poetry writing competitions. How would that change the complexion of the world that we live in?
“Imagine -
the monk took off
before the moon shone.”
book: The Penguin Book of Zen Poetry, Shiki
And just in case you weren’t believing me, here’s the live footage from that infamous Ozzy gig: [warning - not for the squeamish or those of a vegetarian disposition]
