Blood-red dawns and sunsets book-end
February days, while our old friends
Venus and Mercury (never twinkling)
guide us through dawn and evening.
The rising moon gazes from afar,
envious of the wandering stars
that dazzle with their steady light
from early morning until night.
Kim M. Russell, 6th February 2023
Image by Jeremy Thomas on Unsplash
De is our host for this Monday’s Quadrille at the dVerse Poets Pub, for which she asks us to close our eyes and wish upon a star – and a poem should be born of exactly 44 words, with or without rhyme (or reason), containing one word she has provided. She has given us some starry words to work with (starstruck, starry-eyed, falling star, superstar, all-star, rockstar, starshine, star power, movie star, stardust, starling), as well as poetry and music to inspire us. I particularly enjoyed ‘Stars, I Have Seen Them Fall’ by A.E. Housman, which is just one word too many for a quadrille:
Stars, I have seen them fall,
But when they drop and die
No star is lost at all
From all the star-sown sky.
The toil of all that be
Helps not the primal fault;
It rains into the sea,
And still the sea is salt.
writing in north norfolk 
I love the way you describe the whole winter night with all its actors including Venus and Mars (which I think sometimes are called the evening and morning stars)
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Thank you, Björn! They are indeed the morning and evening stars. We’ve been lucky to have clear skies lately, so the sky has been full of stars.
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Love the images you’ve evoked here, Kim. Especially the unwavering, (untwinkling) Venus and Mars.
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Thanks De!
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Planets “never twinkling” must also be as envious of stars as the moon. Lovely and wonderfully crafted too!
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Thanks so much, Susan!
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Kim I love the idea of seeing stars other than Sol in the daytime. Glad they are keeping you company.
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Thank you, Lisa! 🌃
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You’re welcome, Kim ❤
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Skygazer takes it all in, day & night. Great work. Thanks.
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😎
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This has a lovely flow to it, more like the steady movement of the moon than the glittery dance of the stars.
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Thanks Jane,
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Blood red dawns and sunsets as bookends in February — perfect!
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Thanks Lill!
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There’s envy among heavenly bodies while here on earth there’s fear and confusion.
Interesting and skillfully rhymed.
Much❤love
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So true, Gillena. Much love to you!
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A lovely flow that lovingly includes all the friends of the night sky.
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Thank you! I love the idea of fiends of the night sky.
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Sorry about the typo – should read ‘friends of the night sky’!
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Very nicely done. Sunset bookends is a great image. The moon is alway the lonely one it seems!
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Thank you, Dwight. The moonlight was very bright last night.
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Yes, it was here as well! Gorgeous!!
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This is so so so so lovely, Kim ❤
~David
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Thank you David. 🙂
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Beautiful, Kim. I can tell you have spent some time looking at the sky. 💙
I like when I can spot Mars and Venus, too.
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Our sky has been very clear for the past few days, but I have’t spotted the green one yet!
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I hope you spot it!
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Not yet. 😦
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Truly lovely.
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Thanks so much, Selma.
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I love seeing how others view the night sky. ‘ The rising moon gazes from afar,
envious of the wandering stars’.
This is such a beautiful line Kim. I like to think the moon steals the sun! If we ever have writers block all we need to do is look up to the sky. It has much to offer ☺️💕
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Thank you for your lovely comments, Christine. I agree about the moon stealing the sun, although recently, most mornings, they have been in the sky together.
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A charming poem. Nicely done.
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Thank you very much, Bill.
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Kim, most of the 28 nights my son and and spent in Florida during January were clear … as we walked we did a fair bit of star gazing .. there for us, Venus and Mercury.
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That is good to know. We were out in the car this evening; my husband was driving so I was able to stargaze too!
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Beautiful.
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Thank you kindly Melissa!
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Sounds like the moon is getting a bum deal, “The rising moon gazes from afar,
envious of the wandering stars.” (I wish you could get to Dubrovnik also, it is a neat place, old. Take a three, about to be four, kid. He/she will enjoy it more than you do.)
..
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Love the opening lines, love the rhyming and the lovely flow! A beautiful write, Kim.
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Thank you so much Punam.
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My pleasure.
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