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Sunday 27 January 2013

Lunar Impersonation


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Full moon over Palm Bay, Florida: photo by pcoder (Chris Kirkman), 26 January 2013



A noise would awaken or impersonate her.
As if these things were self evident
In her sleep ancient lunar fish enacted,
As if before an underwater window,
A comic mimicry of a sunken world,
The one she wished to inhabit -- as if
Wishing were the next best thing to being
There. When the white moon comes up in the black
Cold winter night, the skin of empire drifts off
Like a poison that's evaporated;
Funny, she thought, how the film over words
Loses its toxic power in certain lights
Above implication's dowager kingdom.


 


File:School of Pterocaesio chrysozona in Papua New Guinea 1.jpg

School of Goldband Fusilier (Pterocaesio chrysozona), Papua, New Guinea: photo by Mila Zinkova, 2004


School of Gold-band Fusilier (Pterocaesio chrysozona), Bali, Indonesia: photo by jaffles, 11 October 2007



Moon Fish: photo by Intrepidteacher (Jabiz Raizdana), 1 September 2012


Full moon: photo by I Rule the School, 26 January 2013

5 comments:

Anonymous said...

oh ...those dreams about the moon...beautiful poem Tom...

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=4RnSZ75zYpc

Hazen said...

This is beautiful, Tom, and quite moving. ‘Ancient lunar fish as if before an underwater window . . .!’ Terrific imagery; and the photographs provide a perfect correspondence. The dream frees the dreamer from timeworn meanings.

It’s a brutal winter over here, and I don’t mean just the weather. Thanks very much for these vivifying lines.

STEPHEN RATCLIFFE said...

Tom,

". . .as if
Wishing were the next best thing to being
There. When the white moon comes up in the black
Cold winter night. . ."

I got a nice shot of full moon rising above ridge last night, will send it to you on "back channel."

1.27

light coming into sky above still black
ridge, birds beginning to call in field
in foreground, wave sounding in channel

which means that when, each
event in time passing

limits which are not object,
emotion, less precise

silver of sunlight reflected in channel,
cloudless blue sky to the left of point

TC said...

This morning's moon in a clear cold sky seems to have had a slice carved out of it.

Perhaps that's going around, Hazen?

Gracias a ti for the lovely cancion, Sandra.

Children of the moon, perhaps also not so uncommon.

Steve, what a beautiful fat yellowish moon over the ridge.

Some streaming fish clouds trailing the moon as it fades into pale blueness now..

Mose23 said...

how the film over words
Loses its toxic power in certain lights

I'm sure the best poetry has a certain light, as we find here.