Moon-Breath

Another wonderful October poem, this one by Mary Jo Salter:

Moon-Breath     by Mary Jo Salter

 

Dark mornings staying dark

 longer, another autumn

 

come, and the body one

 day poorer yet,

 

from restless sleep I wake

 early now to note

 

how the pale disk of moon

 caves to its own defeat,

 

cold as yesterday’s fish

 left over in the pan,

 

or miserly as a sliver

 of dried soap in a dish.

 

Oh for a sparkling froth

 of cloud, a little heat

 

from the sun! I shiver

 at the window where I plant

 

one perfect moon-round breath,

 as I liked to do as a girl

 

against the filthy glass

 of the yellow school bus

 

laboring up the hill,

 not thinking what I meant

 

but passionate, as if

 I were kissing my own life.