They say
we’re out of ways
to woo you.
But I,
heart tied to sky,
shall try to fool you
into loving me back.
See, the clacking of all this black
is really just a churning starless sea
brought to you on bended knee.
Are you the smudge-sketched
thumbprint tintype of some long
-forgotten goddess,
bone button clasped in ebony?
An open jar of firefly hope,
the embered end
of a rescue rope?
We wane, complain your
borrowed light’s got scar
-let sting. We miss you when
you’re kissed in dark.
You’re the spark we seek
(all flashlight-followed fame),
to tiptoe across this curious sky
and we’re the gypsy
-moths gathered here to greet you.
Whether you’re a
ghost-girl sky butterfly bum
or an elegant stone
ocean waving,
here’s what we know:
you’re the snow white plum
we’ve been saving
,
and (this is just to say)
we’ve come
to eat you.
::
NaPoWriMo, day 10. With ardent nod to William Carlos Williams.
Whimsygizmo's Blog 
This is gorgeous.
It amazes me how all the brilliant poets keep coming up with more ways to describe the moon! I too see her as something new each time I look.
These are particularly exquisite sections:
“bone button clasped in ebony”
“ghost-girl sky butterfly bum”
“you’re the snow white plum
we’ve been saving …” I loved the way you brought it around to WCW. That was so clever.
Love this line break:
“and we’re the gypsy
-moths gathered here to greet you.”
A thumbprint! Really, it’s astonishing all the things she can stir up considering that she’s a plain nothing of a circular canvas. I guess that’s it—she’s always ready to become anything for the artist who’s looking at the moment.
Thanks, Girl. I never grow tired of writing about her. 😉
Oh love your plummy moon!
Thanks so much, Misky.
Love this poem!
Thank you. 🙂
I love the exuberance of the sound and word play! These stanzas are amazing:
Are you the smudge-sketched
thumbprint tintype of some long
-forgotten goddess,
bone button clasped in ebony?
An open jar of firefly hope,
the embered end
of a rescue rope?
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What a fantastic verse, De! So many wonderful lines!
Congratulations on being featured.
Thank you so much. What fun!
Yet another ode to Luna. We will never grow tired of the many ways and reasons why we love her so. Thanks for sharing. Tremendous. Loved all the lines. I’m a greedy one, really. 🤣 😋
Thank you, Selma.
This reads beautifully. Congratulations on being featured.
How can a moon be indifferent when wooed with a poem like this, De? I love the alliteration in the opening lines, relaying the woe of the lover, and the resolution in the second stanza. My favourite lines:
‘Are you the smudge-sketched
thumbprint tintype of some long
-forgotten goddess,
bone button clasped in ebony?’
and
‘Whether you’re a
ghost-girl sky butterfly bum
or an elegant stone
ocean waving,
here’s what we know’.
And, of course, the slanted reference to Carlos Williams’ plums! (Oops, that sounds weird!)
Thanks so much, Kim. 🙂
Beautiful, De! Such lovely words–and yes, the plums! Congratulations on being featured.
(I’m not really doing these prompts, since I’m doing a month-long ekphrastic challenge.)
Thank you, Merril. That sounds like a challenge, and a blast!
You’re welcome, De!
Wow, the plethora of words never cease to amaze me and yet, Psalm 19 swallows them all. A beautifully penned poem.
Thanks so much, Mary.
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Wow! Wow! What a wonderful poem and your ending is delicious.
This stanza called out to me,
“An open jar of firefly hope,
the embered end
of a rescue rope?”
I am so glad it is featured on the NaPoWrMon site. Hopefully, it will reach many readers.
Thank you so much, Ali.
A wonderful poem, whimsygizmo. Just beautiful to read. So many good lines, but I love this stanza:
“You’re the spark we seek
(all flashlight-followed fame),
to tiptoe across this curious sky
and we’re the gypsy
-moths gathered here to greet you.”
Thank you, Sunra!
Aaah, this is soo well done! 😀 I loved that ending.
Thank you so much!
De, a little late coming by. Cool that Maureen featured you yesterday. Sorry I haven’t come by here in a long time. Great poem. Love all of it, esp. “ghost-girl sky butterfly bum,” so fun to say. Come on by my blog too.
Thank you so much, Vince! So good to see you!