Little Rock.

The first full moon of the new year is tomorrow night. I know that most of you probably couldn't care less, but maybe after reading this a few of you will make it a point to search it out at some point during the night, if only for a few seconds.

Make a wish, even. Hey, 47 million Koreans can't be wrong.

I'm not sure why, but I've always loved the moon. There's just something about it that fascinates me. Maybe because it's so close, cosmically speaking. Maybe because out of all the things in the night sky that I can look at through my telescope, the moon is the one that most willingly reveals its secrets.

Or maybe it's only because in a world full of stress and unwanted change, the moon remains a constant.

I like the thought of that.

Sometimes it can be hard-edged, jewel-like and alien -- other times, orange-tinted and warm. Always a thing of untouchable, majestic beauty. But men have touched it. Men much greater than I.

No matter what form it takes when it appears in the sky, looking at it -- even for a few short moments -- always comforts and centers me in a way I can't really explain. It makes me think of what's...possible, perhaps.

Some of the quietest, most peaceful moments in my life have been spent sitting under that cold, soft light while the world sleeps. Whether I'm inside or out, it doesn't matter. For a moment, life is uncomplicated. Nothing can touch me. Time stops. The illusion is complete.

Here's a little ditty I wrote a while ago for another site. Enjoy. Or not.

Lunar, Eclipsed

Sometimes, when I look at the moon, I think back to the late summer nights when we sprawled on the hood of my car and stared up at the night sky. We wondered about our future, and whether we'd be together for a month, a year, a lifetime. We held hands and kissed and swatted bugs and drank our cheap wine under the stars.

And we laughed.

God, even now, just remembering the sound of your laughter can make my heart feel too big for my chest. When I close my eyes, I can still smell your perfume -- mingled with the faint, sweet scent of fresh-cut hay.

Sometimes, when I look at the moon, I wonder if, at that exact moment, you're looking at it too...and perhaps thinking of me.

We were just kids, I know.

But sometimes, when I look at the moon, I miss you more than I can bear.

Here's wishing everyone has a great 2007. Especially my fellow moon freaks out there!