The moon was gone. The sky was naked.
No silver spilled among the clouds.
A boy and his old man rowing a bobbing boat.
across the black surface of the lake.

The man held a jar that seemed to glow,
saying, "I saved some light from long ago."
The boy leaned close with a thin voice:
"You caught the moon and closed it in?"

The old man smiled with his eyes half-closed:
"Not quite. But close enough, I suppose."
"It's moonshine, my boy. A harmless brew
not made to drink, just for us to view.

I keep it here for nights like this,
when the stars forget and shadows noise."
They passed it slow and the silence expand,
as the jar lit up like evening glow.