The Moon Will Be Big Tonight

Our cat, Luna, got hit by a car a couple of days ago and died.

I am not a pet person. We got Luna (strange how we talk about “owning” pets, but we do) for our foster son Aiden. Looking after a pet is a big responsibility. Like having a child. And we’ve had many of those kind of responsibilities as you’re probably aware. When we’ve had pets, I’ve tended to see them as a necessary nuisance.

So I was surprised by how emotional I felt when I heard about Luna’s death. Then when I went to pick him up. It was a hit and run, but someone had placed him in a better place after the accident, and kindly covered him with a piece of cloth to protect from the flies and the crows. And then when we buried him. It felt like a sacred moment. The sweat of digging the grave, mixed with a tear or two.

I didn’t expect that.

Yesterday I was playing a wee gig at the library. Someone, without knowing, read a poem called Moon. Again, I was moved.

And I finished that session with a song called The Moon Will Be Big Tonight.

Rest in peace Luna. You shone brighter than I noticed at the time.