041317

To Luna, Quickly
 

we're all flying to the moon
the swifts arrive first, obv
but even the slugs go
piggy-backing on the bats
and between the toes of owls
the water there is frozen
and the air is thin
but after the 6-minute war
it's clear they can't stay on Earth

seeds arrive tucked into cheek pouches
of rodents and rabbits on the backs of eagles
who will need something to hunt, after all
no one knows how the elephants did it
but there they are

the forests of the moon are underground
naturally
air is trapped in the caverns
rich in oxygen
light is reflected from crystal formations
deep into the moon
the pale leaves remember the sun

there are no humans
no H. pigstyense
God forbid!




Inspired by a poem by Jane Yolen