Wednesday, October 18, 2017

5 Phases of the October Moon


1. new moon

traffic looks stalled under the Fremont Bridge arch
but it’s far off through rain & the train window

black river’s a one-way mirror for the sky
where the moon must float, absorbing gray moisture

2. waxing crescent

the sky’s undecided--half hour after
blue, half hour before black--but the train might

arrive on schedule under gold station lights:
the crescent’s blurred above angled power lines

3. half moon

cattails & vetch thrive at the parking lot’s edge
where this late afternoon blends shadow & sun—

the yellow clapboard walls align slanted light,
but not slanted light off the divided moon

4. waxing gibbous

streetlight photons cut across the avenue,
glimmer between the birch leaves, an electric

nest; here come the headlights, flying two by two:
moon’s belly swells ripe in an unpeopled sky

5. full moon

the taijitu sign glows black & white against
a stucco building; people are driving home,

lights approaching from all dimensions; how can
this moon be both a mirror & an orphan



Jack Hayes
© 2017

This completes the yearlong cycle of moon quatrains, & also officially signals the completion of the Sunflower Sky manuscript & 101 Portland Moons. Stay tuned for publication information.