Common Treasures: MOONROSE

MOONROSE

Some things happen only once.

Once and only once
A rose was born on the Moon.
It was long ago
Millions and millions of years ago.
At that time there were only plants and tiny animals
On the surface of the young Earth.
Then came the giants
And finally the humans.

The rose kept blooming
But she was invisible most of the time.
Her purpose wasn't to be seen.
Her sacred mission was to keep the Moon warm
And the heart of Earth alive and beating.

The living creatures on Earth
Looked up in the night
They saw much more than their eyes could see.

They saw living beings like them
Animals drinking blue lakes
Plants blooming, dew shining, rocks coming alive
Humans flying like birds
Birds drawing rainbows across the sky
Rain feeding the ground
Snow on the top of the mountains
Ice melting, crystalline streams
Crossing meadows and fertile plains.

Along millions of years they saw the Moon
Travelling peacefully above their heads
They saw the Moon in Spring
And they saw the Moon in Winter.
Always the same
And always new
It was in her nature to be old and new
At the same time.

Plants, animals and humans had the same way of looking
The same beliefs, the same sky, the same twinkling stars
And the same universal soul.
Harmony wasn’t a word
Was a way of living
A state of deep conscience.
So deep that became unconscious.

Change meant renewal
And renewal meant eternity
No matter for how long.

Along the journey the Moon
Was the travelling companion
Reminding each creature
That the beautiful truthful things
Never come to an end.
They live in endless transmutation.

It seemed that no science
No cutting words would ever
Change the natural course
Of eternal beauty.

Then one day someone came
From the deepest cave to the top of an hill
And shouted to all the land within the vast horizon:
«There's nothing on the Moon
It's empty and cold
It's just a dead celestial body»

At first, the natural simple living creatures
Believed in that roaring voice
And fell in deep sadness.
Instead of looking up and all around
They kept looking to the ground.

Tears wet the fertile soil
And all the creatures closed their eyes
For a long, long time
Until the valleys became salted lakes
And deserts without fishes or memory.
When there was just one single stream
Of pure limpid water
Flowing from the mountain
A small bird dared to drink with her eyes open.
She saw the water twinkling
And looked above.

The Moon was still there.
The bird looked for a long time
Closed her eyes, opened them again
The scenery was the same:
Forests and gardens
Mountains and plains
Rivers and oceans
And the colourful silhouette of a rose.

For the first time she saw the gardener
Sitting by the side of the rose
And she forgot the fearful voice for ever.
No one knew who he was
His name or his age.
Probably he was there since the beginning.

The bird flew through the sky
Singing as she did millions of times
With other wings and other voices
Telling all the living creatures
The roaring voice was the voice of a liar
Unable to see, feel and love.

And all the creatures heard the appeal of the bird.
They stopped crying with eyes shut
And for a while they cried with open eyes
And their tears were pure and sweet as rainwater.

Their tears of joy covered the ground all around
And the desert retreated to his usual lair.
Springs and streams came down the mountains
And renewed the common ground of all creatures.
Even some humans joined the celebration
With their arms wide open
And sweet words in their lips.
And the most important was that
Everything was true and real.

Again and again they looked up
In union with the elements and the sky beyond
And felt deep in their souls
Life and beauty was flowing
As always did.

And if there was any more proof needed
The rose on the Moon gave it to them
In slow beautiful colours.
Many may lose their purpose or memory
But not the Moon Rose.

Once again, when she saw the cold shades coming
She redoubled her warm blooming
She bloomed and bloomed
Spreading all over the Moon
Until she covered it completely.

Once again, the whole Moon
Was a rose itself.
She felt alive and warm.
From below all the pure simple creatures
Were returning back her warm smile
Travelling up across the night sky.

And now you know one of the oldest stories in the Universe
That tells why the Moon becomes red from time to time.
Because there’s a rose living on the Moon
A single rose, born once and only once
To stay there forever.
Whenever the Moon becomes cold
Covered by cold shades
Coming from distant corners
The rose protects her
Blooming as a giant rose.

You don’t believe in stories and moonflowers?
It’s sad and it’s a pity
Because all stories are truthful
Even the most fantastic ones.
Ask the rose
Ask the bird
Ask the Moon
Ask the gardener.
They know better…

Well, this is just the seed of the story.
The story itself is blooming on the Moon
Right now, around the Earth
In the shape of a giant rose…

São Ludovino, 23/1/2019

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