by Noelle Blake
art by Ruth Brior
“How rare,” they say
Heads tilted in awe
They point their cameras
and fingers
reach out as if to touch…
Pull back, applaud instead
For a few seconds,
with special glasses,
They leer at the moon before the Sun,
bravely overtaking
its glaring adversary
For a few seconds.
But the moon must return
to her place, where she belongs
Waiting, watching
A mere vessel for the Sun to beam
through her pores
In her brief moment of glory
she stands proudly
dark and defiant against
the Sun’s brutal kiss
Finally
she thinks to herself,
ignoring the pointed heat
Bearing
down on her back
How long can it last?
She begs the Sun
for one more moment
But a rock will always pale
In the light of a blazing Star
Earth stands by
waiting for the fire
to push the moon into the margins
A stranger in the sky
Don’t worry
They’ll applaud her as she goes
And thank her for her bravery.
Comments