April Moon

(8 quatrains)

1. new moon

irregular ticking of the first raindrops

rattles ironwood leaves, last autumn's echoes;

in streetlights the plum blossoms change to fresh snow:

hard to say if that blank sky’s empty or full

2. waxing crescent

petals drop from those two star magnolias

standing against sunset light & the airplanes

emerging from it; a few blossoms nod in

this breeze subtle as the silver lunar curve

3. half moon

where the street curves north the serviceberries bloom

white five-pointed stars & tree lilacs quiver

in the breeze & the flurry of mason bees:

half moon dozes silver past the maple’s hands

4. waxing gibbous

white daffodils show their faces through chain link

diamonds; a woman passes, transparent

umbrella warding off the streetlight drizzle:

pear tree blossoms reflect this flowering moon

5. full moon

blinds opened, each slat shifts from light to shadow

angling away from the floor lamp: black roof draws

its edge between security lights below

& that moon shifting between the slats of clouds

6. waning gibbous

that scrub jay flying west turns black against clouds;

one crow walks across a white picnic table;

pattern of wires across an unsettled sky

where a shrinking moon sinks into blue morning

7. last quarter

cherry petals in this west wind: falling

stars, the pavement a galaxy of what was—

raindrops turn visible striking the sidewalk:

half moon sinks in the folds of white cloud blossoms

8. waning crescent

low clouds follow the curve of weeping birch boughs

pointing toward a white sun where overcast

accumulates again above one crow’s flight:

last crescent in search of one last blue island

Jack Hayes

© 2017