Sunday, June 7, 2009

Poem: Forgetting the Moon

The moon climbed into this poem.
I tried to ignore it
but it looked in through the window
one night and woke me up.
It was throwing all this light
and the snow was soaking it in
and if light were a noise,
the whole backyard
would be talking.

Sometimes for months entire
I forget about the moon. The sky
is an empty pail. How
can the moon come calling
when it has so much to do?
Lovers and tides
will not raise themselves.

But it climbed, I tell you,
in through a closed window,
and if that is too much
of a metaphor, I give you also
my heart, that old lady
in her cold walk-up.
Even she saw the moon —
she has windows, too, you know —
and though it didn’t make
the headlines — moon shines in
through somebody’s window —
I wrote it down
so if you please,
it can happen.
It happened to me.

(appeared in Mudfish, 2009)

1 comment:

  1. 'Moon' is one of those words I don't want beginning poets to use. It's always difficult. But if one has developed skill, it can be as lovely as this. I love 'the sky is an empty pail;" love and tides are made fresh by their pairing and "will not raise themselves."

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