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Other mythologies had several names for it as well. My mom, when my oldest daughter Liz was born, nicknamed her, “Moonbeam.” All this is a poetic technique called personification.

The moon is the only natural satellite of the Earth and shines by the reflected light of the sun.

It is 2,160 miles in diameter and 239,000 miles away from Earth. The gravitational forces between the Earth and the moon causes our tides. On the Earth’s surface there are two bulges, one in the direction of the moon and one opposite it; because the Earth rotates much faster than the moon moves in its orbit, the bulges move around the Earth about once per day, giving us two high tides per day. The moon is also locked in phase with its orbit, so that the same side is always facing the Earth.

Because the moon has no atmosphere and no magnetic field, the moon’s surface is directly exposed to solar wind. Craters are caused by meteor showers. The surface is made up of fine dust and rocky debris, and not green cheese as some poets have suggested.

Furthermore, no cow has ever jumped over the moon to cause the little dog to laugh and the dish to run away with the spoon. There is truth, however, to the “Blue Moon” stories. A blue moon refers not to the color, but to the fact that a second monthly full moon occurs once every 2.7 years. During a lunar month we see the moon’s appearance change in visible illumination and there are eight distinct phases. The phases are caused by the relative positions of the moon and the sun in the sky.

There have been many poems written about the moon or making reference to it in what is called, figurative language, which is a way of saying something other than the literal meaning of the words in the poem (ex., “She, is my Sun, and I, her Moon”). The great, modern day poet, Robert Frost was famous for utilizing this technique.

Much of the moon poetry is also metaphorical, which is saying one thing and meaning another while comparing two things, essentially unalike. Much in the way of similar language is also used, as well, where a comparison is made through the use of a simile using “like” or “as.” There is also something called an allusion in poetry which is a reference to either someone, something, or some place outside the poem; it creates a metaphor in doing so. For example, in his poem “Epithalamion,” the poet, Edmund Spencer “alludes” to the Moon Goddess, Phoebe, when he describes his bride to be as she approaches. He writes, “She approaches like Phoebe from her chamber in the East.”

Michael Hickey is a local writer and poet who lives in Pelican Bay and Swampscott, Mass. His book, “Get Wisdom,” is published by Xlibris Div. Random House Publishing and is available at 1-888-795-4274 Ext. 822, at Xlibris.com, or your local bookstore. E-mail Mike Hickey at Mikehic@nii.net.