Celestial Bodies

by Julia Gagliardi


a lunar crater a chunk of rocky crust a cryptogamic layer of erosion
the moon has no atmosphere of oxygen and gas to
                         protect

                         & safeguard
                         its smooth shape from impacting bodies.
       dust, settles on bounces clean light in a bowl-shaped
                         quickly peeling
                         ricocheting back and forth, hitting the dove-white, dove
                         -grey, dove-cream
                         surface of the moon.
                                      a bird recoils inside its own feathers
                                                    soft, dewy
                    Celestial bodies of light
                                                    bouncing wall to wall
       a rebound
                                                                         and hand to hand and
                                                                                                               cheek to cheek
       not gone, but at present to be filled
                         with a laugh that is
                                     full
                                                    a pot of water, boiling,
                                                    a roll of yet-to-be-developed film
       there is a full moon
                         not just one night
                         always full
                         bouncing light
into window frames
in glass bottles
in the eyes of lovers, friends
       and light refracts
           & reflects.


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