The Lost Moon

Lunar exsanguination. Oh dear.

March 3, 2026. 5:45 AM, Springfield neighborhood. Jacksonville, Florida. USA.

Dang it. Nibbles, the cat poked my arm once. Claws out. I pulled the covers higher and rolled over. A quick wiggle got her claws under the cover. Dang it again. She has a way of poking me. Gently at first and later with one claw she works under my skin. Pop. She pulls back and takes a plug out. Ouch. Blood. OK, OK, OK.

“Thank you, kitty. I would have missed the blood moon if not for you.” I forked out her wet food onto a saucer. “Here ya go.”

She slurped it up.

The Blood Moon.

Actually, I forgot about it. I’ve seen it before but it’s always a joy. This is the last one until 2028. I pulled on some shorts and a sweatshirt. Grabbed my phone and slid out the door.

Admittedly, my eyes are not what they used to be. But it’s a moon. A full moon, not a lost quarter. It should be obvious. It wasn’t. I looked to the west, the east, the north and even the south. Nothing.

Huge live oaks arch over the Springfield alley. I walked up to Eighth Street. Looked to the west then back to the east. Nothing. Thought maybe the ambient city lights were choking out the vision. Turned and walked down the alley to Seventh Street. Same. Walked over to Walnut. Nothing.

Most I saw was a faint pinkish glow. Dang it. Best laid plans, or no plans. Regardless. The moon was gone. Oh well.

I was up so I thought I’d just think for a while. On occasion I try to do that.

My first thought was about the Blood Moon. Science teaches us that the Blood Moon occurs during a total lunar eclipse. The red color is reflected light filtered through the earth’s atmosphere as the moon is in the shadow of its host planet.

We know this to be true. But, I thought, what if we didn’t. Even though I missed the one today, I’ve seen several during my 72 years.

Thought about our species and those early times when we were climbing down from trees, organizing tribes and looking to the skies with that big question, “Where are we from?” Another. “Why are we here?” I wonder if other species ask those questions. I think probably not. Most species spend their days looking for the next meal and trying to procreate. Not saying that Homo sapiens is better or worse. Most do exactly the same thing. Some of us are just different.

Our history record is full of tales about the moon. Many stories explaining the celestial events. I looked up a few. Most consider the total eclipse of the moon to be a bloodbath. Drama ensues. Dark eats light, Light is victorious and returns. Exsanguination happens. All recover and live happily ever after.

As our species evolves we look to science for our explanations. “Oh yeah,” we marvel at new found knowledge. “That explains it.” No longer do we have to rely on stories made up around ancient campfires. Enlightenment guides us.

There’s a certain comfort in knowledge. Science moves us forward out of the darkness into the light. Maybe the metaphor runs full circle.

This new found way of looking at our universe is thrilling. It frees us from fear. We don’t have to rely on ancient superstitions. We have a better idea of reasonable explanations.

But the superstitions linger. They hold a comfortable bump on the tongues of many. Do those ancient ways of looking at things serve us well? Do they make those of us who know better suffer? Would we be better off relying on facts and science?

it seems we are in a conflict inspired by those ancient campfire tales. How will it play out? We will see. We will see.