[Poem] Swallowing the Moon

Some see an anonymous man or a thief of sheep.
Some a goddess like Hina-i-ka-malama or Chang’e.
Perhaps a princess of rabbits or a magician’s jealous head,
Her face painted with bells.
Cain.
A criminal from the Book of Numbers.
A cook. A witch. A home for the dead among those stones.

A zoo hungers
With bellies for cosmic lights:
Nak, lung, serpentine Bakunawa.
Wolves, frogs and old gods seeking a bite!

We chase with fireworks, bold arrows, bullets, hoots,
Our clamor of mortals who wish to journey to heaven
And return eternally
Mischievous ravens and spiders,
Master marksmen and demigods.
Defenders, uncontested, unsung.

Become more than lucky monkeys with fire and pens.

From DEMONSTRA (Innsmouth Free Press, 2013)