Moondance

Well, it's a marvelous night for a moondance
With the stars up above in your eyes
A fantabulous night to make romance
Beneath the cover of October skies
And all the leaves on the trees are falling
To the sound of the breezes that blow
And I'm trying to please to the calling
Of your heart-strings that play soft and low
And all the night's magic seems to whisper and hush
And all the soft moonlight seems to shine in your blush

Can I just have one  more moondance with you, my love?


A few weeks ago, my friend Argentum (Args? Arggy? ... sorry. :P) posted about his ongoing quest to find his lady, the lovely and ephemeral Autumn. I must admit, I was jealous that his personal Autumn came to visit him much sooner than mine did.

Summer dies so beautifully here in the Northwest that it is small wonder Fall remains my favorite season. The dove grey sky so startlingly split by warm, gold, sun beams. The smell of last night's rain so still and fresh on the pavement. The blowing rain and gusting leaves that hurl themselves to the ground with raw enthusiasm and the last of their vitality. The trees that flame from the outside in, leaves red and raw and green and young all at once. The warm jackets, the scratchy scarfs, the sweet taste of acorn squash on my tongue and the smell of apples outside my window. The rustle of wind through the trees and the scraping of twigs on windows.

I treasure this time of year. It reminds me of Peter Bradley Adams, of the Decemberists, of the Civil Wars, Manchester Orchestra, and Michael Buble all at once. I love the insidious cold that creeps along behind me, dogging my steps, ready to spring when once I stop moving. This runs the risk of sounding flippant, but it is truly ~~lovely ~~.

I spoke about this a few posts ago, about a missions trip I am saving up for. I sent my application in to a YWAM based in Perth, Australia. If I am accepted, I will be spending the fine Northwestern winter in Australia's foreign summer. And once I return, I will spend my freckled Summer preparing to move to California for four years of college.

It is driven home to me with every passing day that this is the last intoxicating, exhilarating Autumn I shall see in a long while. My life for the next few years will be one of Summer. And this sobering, melancholy realization reminds me of another song, by the simply sublime group Mouth Music. You can listen to this song here.

"And all the leaves are turning brown,
Yet I can find no reason
To tear myself from Puget Sound
And see her world again..."

This Autumn Romance must be conducted with the brilliance of a shooting star, not only because it deserves that much, but because it heralds the end to an era in my life.

I just want one more moondance with you, my dear...
And the wanting comes in waves.