Letter 25 – Daughter of the Moon
She naked
& luminous
grew tired of chasing
the circling
old red planet night after night.
She began to lose her shape the sun
made plums ripen & made her
form full
ready
to swell w/ light &
die in a moon time & become new.
She came back singing camp songs
remembered by Maude - she
of car theft &
her live in the moment ethos.
Griefs minor so far -
the finger-splayed blue flame
protects.
She poured Daddy’s love into sound
practiced every day
the 88 ebony & ivory keys
turn out
Songs or a score for Levertov
she also radiates she misses a button here
knew
her charms her
voice a poem in itself her effect lingers after she’s
gone back to
Out
of her mouth the sounds that
may kill or create sing Kali’s
tune - soul flame
warning
but not afraid of burning.
The lake accepts the moon’s nightly offerings the
breathing deepens as summer
wanes we remember the
pattern of loafing & have almost
perfected this August moment.
(Phrases taken from Denise Levertov Death Psalm)
© 2003 by the respective poets