The Night Sky

To save money the council now switches off the street lights in our street in the early hours. The result is magical. We have the night sky back. The stars, from being fogged and distant, are now distinct, glittering and close. The sky is once more a starlit canopy. At this season Orion is perfectly framed by the buildings, a huge presence, with studded belt and sword. This morning, for one morning only, he held, in his raised left hand, the full moon, a ball of light, a shining snowball. Ice glittered on the roofs in the moonlight.