Tomorrow, September 30, the Trump administration is officially closing the Beltsville Agricultural Research Center (BARC), my sanctuary for nearly a decade. I am heartbroken. While walking there yesterday at sunrise, so much already felt abandoned.

The Harvest Moon appeared on Saturday, September 26, but the sky was completely overcast that day. Though still somewhat overcast yesterday morning, the moon shone brightly in the sky, perhaps to show me a little of what I had missed.

From the time of the Harvest Moon until winter solstice, the nights will continue to get longer than the days. Darkness will win out.

I am not sure why I thought that BARC would miraculously remain open; no doubt because I had witnessed so many miracles of beauty in its backroads and fields. I will still find ways to access it, but it will soon be overgrown or mowed down for a possible data center. Bottom line, BARC will not be the same. Darkness will win out.

I am reminded of the first stanza of Carl Sandburg’s poem, “Under the Harvest Moon”:

 Under the harvest moon, 
When the soft silver
Drips shimmering
Over the garden nights,
Death, the gray mocker, 
Comes and whispers to you
As a beautiful friend
Who remembers.

So whisper to me beautiful friend, what do you remember about the hundreds of sunrises? Tell me now before darkness wins out.