Eclipse

Compared to the sun the moon is a woman, 
Cold as the distant diamonds of a crystal mine, 
Gentle as the fallen flakes of an untrod snowfield, 
Shy as a rabbit peeping out from under a bush. 
Round as the refracted lens of a heavy raindrop. 
 
Compared to the Earth the moon is a man, 
Dry as the surface of a windswept desert, 
Hard as the rocks of a volcanic beach, 
Mobile like the dreams of an ambitious youth, 
Rough as the future of an industrialized nation. 
 
But when the moon is eclipsed, the light 
From neither shines on it, leaving it one color, 
A single entity, undivided under God, 
Bracing itself against the darkness beyond, 
Silhouetted by a circle of light created 
By two bodies revolving, like man and woman.