a record of moonlit jasmine · Jasminum sambac · kept by candle
03:14 / first quarter / the trellis is cold to the touch. no blossom has yet broken. the cloister holds its breath. i record what is not there as carefully as what is.
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03:31 / waxing gibbous / one blossom has opened on the lowest cane. the scent is faint, still bound in the cool air. i note the position: third node from the soil. silence holds.
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03:47 / waning gibbous / four blossoms have opened on the south trellis. dew has not yet condensed. the moon stands clear of cloud. the page is lit enough to write without strain.
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04:11 / last quarter / the first beads of dew sit on the upper leaves. i draw the pewter cup from the wall and set it beneath the heaviest cane. collection will follow at the half-hour. the candle gutters once and steadies.
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04:38 / waning crescent / nine drops gathered in the pewter cup. the water is colder than the air. i seal it and mark the vessel. the south trellis now bears seven open blossoms. the work proceeds in order.
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05:02 / new moon / the sky is at its darkest and the blossoms hold full scent. i extinguish nothing yet. the cup is stored, the page is dry, the trellis counted at eleven open. i close the ledger. the candle remains.
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END · OF · WATCH