Stolen by the Moon

author’s note:

Since my house
burned down, I now own
a better view
of the rising moon
      -- Masahide (trans. Beilenson/Behn)


STOLEN BY THE MOON

I crept down
the echoing street tonight:
stalked by a low Moon--

feeling helpless against its powers:
what a heartbeat thrill.

Perhaps cat burglars
seek that Moon feeling
when they take jewels
from bedroom safes.

But all over this world
good citizens like you and me
rummage in the darkness
looking for jewels--
not realizing what we really want--
we want to be stolen
by The Moon.

The Moon once stole me
as I watched a night spider
pick its way gingerly
toward the center of a silver web

Such lapses of forgetting
frighten me a bit
yet also provide a sense of relief--
I need those brief vacations from myself.

So in my dimness
I keep trying to find ways
that will lead me
through the shadows
to that glowing center
of the web.

What I Learned While Alone: poetry ebook
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© 2021, Michael R. Patton