Eclipse

(For the full Super Flower Moon, May 2022)

what more can I say about the moon?

my daughter read an article
on rabies that scared the wits
out of her, so I am thinking
about all the wild things
marauding out there
in the ghostly super light

the earth’s shadow
scrapes its way across her face
a raw red nail
turning the white lamp of the night
into blood and rust
breathing portents
across space and time
writing its own cautionary tale
across the sky

in the articles of motherhood
no one says how to soothe
irrational fears after they
have outgrown hugs and lullabies

what bedtime stories
can I tell besides the truth,
besides do not be afraid?
even the lilies and sparrows
face nature boldly every day
they sleep through
the moon’s fickle folklore
awakening refreshed again
with each new morning

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Who else watched the total lunar eclipse last night? I was too excited about it and had to stay up to see totality – it was worth it. Who else has a kiddo that scares themselves reading random articles online, then refuses any kind of rational consolation??