My friend gave me permission to share the inspiration for I Have Seen The Moon, which upon reading evoked wonders, prehistory, gods of old, mysteries, all the beings who have been, and all those to be. Reading is below the fold, click the image for full size.

© C. Ford, all rights reserved.

Helen and the moon

“the moon is the moon,” she says
“anywhere you go.
from a balcony in Troy
or above a gaping maw,
the moon is the moon.”

“I saw the moon from a ship crossing the Aegean,” she says
“and again from the single window of my tower
where it shone like a great pearly eye
blind and gleaming
teasing moths and the mist into something ethereal
so yes, I’ve seen the moon.”

“I’ve seen the moon through a dusty sky,” she says
“shining deep red and russet
stained with the blood of my victims
as I lay back and spewed my venom back into the atmosphere
shading the world
painting with fire
so yes, I’ve seen the moon.”

“I have also seen the moon in foreign lands,” she says
“not quite the cross that I once brought
from across the Egyptian desert
along with all the cats
but a beacon from the heavens
nonetheless
so yes, I have seen that moon, too.”

“I have seen the moon,” she says
“it glimmered across my carapace
dark and iridescent
and caressed the membrane of my feather-scaled wings
whose eyes
stared back
and saw infinity
so yes, I have seen the moon.”

“I can still feel the moon,” she says
“from beneath the stones of the pyramid
lying under this weight
my purity questioned and questioned and finally granted
while the moon
keeps the secrets
birthed in the night
so yes, I still feel the moon.”

“I speak to the moon,” she says
“my ocean like a universe
making islands of us all
a speck of dust and light
giving direction and bearing
to those lost at sea
and the moon sings back to me
with the gentleness of inevitable tides –
so yes, I can speak to the moon.”

“it’s the only moon we have,” she says
“though Primus never understood in the end
and our new beginning
was just another ending
and you know
love alone is never enough to make it work
not even the moon.”

“it’s always been the same moon,” she says
“through the silences
and darkness
and storms
and the twisted endings far from my siblings
through the woods in midsummer
fleeting as a butterfly
keeping company to queens
and vagabonds
on both sides of the struggle
lonely alone or forcibly tamed
but always, always the same moon.”

“the moon is the moon,” she says
“the same moon turn and turn about
it is I who changes
from year to year
eon to eon
story to story
written spoken left unsaid
passed down and passed over
here forgotten now recalled
given shape by time and the mouths of others
here a mother there a daughter
now the goddess now the empress now the saint
then revolutionary author scientist robot mountain insect island and burning flame
always
me and not me
but the moon –
the moon is the moon,” she says.
“always has been and always will be.
word.”

*Please respect the fact that although my friend prefers to stay anonymous, this does not mean uncredited. These beautiful words belong to my friend, so don’t steal. Or borrow. Thank you. Permission for use can be requested through me, email is on the sidebar.