Another Cycle of the Moon, poem by Christopher Reilley

Another month, rent is due,

bills on the first,

auto loan on the fifteenth,

four Sunday dinners

and interest accrues.

The ritual of mikvah;

the Orthodox bath of family.

Welfare checks come due,

get your nails done, girl,

social security pays out on the third,

pensions and fiscal reports

are generated yet again.

One cycle of the moon,

from waxing to waning

back to waxing,

full and whole, round and bright

then

a crescent blade poised

to bleed the sky.

Ebb and flow of tides

ebb and flow of Woman

push and pull of those below,

they are not called lunatics for nothing.

The moon

pulls at us

then releases us once more,

toying with us

its cratered eyes

watching us dance to its rhythms.

Ancient marrieds drank honey wine

for a cycle of the moon

after their union night,

hence the honeymoon.

A white hare who lives there

guides the Chinese to celebrate.

American Indians sang of Tortoise

who holds the waters in check.

Authors have written of the moon’s majesties–

Hale, Maugham, Roth, and London

inspired by its cold blue reflected light

And the calendar–

Ticking off our lives,

one by one,

month by month,

named for gods,

clocking our spans,

turning the Great Wheel

one step closer.

Christopher Reilley is the current poet laureate for Dedham, MA. A Pushcart nominee, he is the author of the chapbook ‘Grief Tattoos,’ and the full length collection ‘Breathing For Clouds,’ both available from Amazon. He has contributed to a wide variety of anthologies and collections, his poems appearing in the Boston Literary Magazine, Word Salad, Ragamuffin, Raven’s Desk and many others. He is a board member for the Newton Writing and Publishing Center, as well as contributing editor to Acoustic Ink. His poems can be found at chrisreilleypoems.blogspot.com.