In early November

the Beaver Moon reminds us:

to stack the wood and stock the freezer,

to mend the thick down quilt,

to patch the roof and clean the chimney

before the Cold Moon arrives.

And then, in late November, 

when the Beaver Moon is full, 

we watch her as she shreds her bark

and gnaws at slices of light

night after night until, 

longing for her cozy lair,

wrapped in her blackest cloak,

she retreats to her New Moon lodge (December 12).

In her den the Shape-Shifter Moon

of our winter hours 

yawns and stretches,

paints and sketches,

chooses frost from her closet of colors,

then opens the door just enough

so a sliver of silver slides into view

and we see a young moon's slender curve

as she skates out onto the First Quarter

of her icy sky-rink (December 19).

Growing daily in her beauty,

the Cold Moon of December 

adds layers of light to the path

toward the Longest Night

of the Winter Solstice (December 21)

and sends prayers for peace

around the Earth

on the day of her fullness

(December 26).

Janet N. Gold lives in Camden