Lunar

Luna moth on a black walnut tree

Hours old,
the luna moth’s wings still look
as if they don’t fit.

*

Full moon.
The starving kitten
cries for milk.

*

At school,
the squire’s moon-faced daughter
was one of many Emilys.

*

Forty years on,
I remember that new-book smell:
You Will Go To The Moon.

*

Entering a patch of moonlight
in the forest,
my sudden boots.

22 Replies to “Lunar”

  1. Never in my life thought of the adjective ‘sudden” to describe “boots” but of course it works. Great!

  2. Funny how each has a favorite.

    I adore the second. Simply perfect. As it turns out, I was looking at the moon last night, and I couldn’t come up with anything interesting to say about it. But you have, here.

  3. I like all of these quite a bit. I saw a huge lunar moth myself this past Sunday evening, on the edge of the forest near a labyrinth just after dusk. The light was dark green and wouldn’t yield a good photograph to me. I had thought of writing something and may still…or not…this is wonderful. I love the sudden boots especially but also the starving kitten.

  4. Hi everyone – Thanks for all the generous words. These were a little on the experimental side, and were written much too quickly, so I’m glad several of them made a hit.

  5. I’m with Lucas in liking the second best, but it’s that perfect, luminous green at the top that really catches my eye. All these years I’ve been struggling to put a name to the color I keep painting my walls; now I can call it luna-moth green.

  6. Sheesh, you can tell how absent I’ve been by the fact that I didn’t comment immediately on this one. Gorgeous photo of my favorite moth, and terrific poems. (I like the Emilys.)

    1. Thanks! Glad you liked the Emilys one. Writing a haiku about something historical, not directly experienced (except through the medium of a live play) felt a little weird.

  7. Pingback: Banjo, luna

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