The Lonelier Moon

Armstrong has seen it
from its sister.
He wants to be with her:
plant his red stripes,
blue sky, into her.

It is not enough to land
on one moon
knowing the other is
untouched.

Isn't that what the myths say too:

the twin goddess
persuaded by a trickster,
drifted out beyond
her sister's reach,

fooled into solitude.

Armstrong knows
what it is to reach out
for a god

and come back a man.

Copyright © 2002 J. P. Dancing Bear All rights reserved
from What Language
Slipstream Press
Reprinted by Verse Daily® with permission