the Moon and her Shadows

I am like the Moon, said the girl
said the willow tall girl to the heavens
I am like the Moon

I am like the Moon, she said
to the star that fell from its home
to the star that fell down
and down
to the star that wanted to be
like the Sun

Stardust! I am like the moon now! I am like the moon!
I have learned to dance slowly
in shadows
I have learned to stay here in my place
I have learned not to fall down into darkness
I have learned
I have learned

I have learned that a woman
will burn herself out
if she tries to shine light
or cast shadows

Let the man
be the Sun

Let him shine
for you
casting shadows
to dance in at night

Let the man
burn bright
absorb his light
he will come looking
to find it again

Let him follow you
across the sky

And let him find you
in the cool of the night
dancing in your mysterious sky
absorbing
reflecting
giving him back
his light
made more beautiful
by your embrace
perfected
by your reflection
but still
and always
his own

Heart on a Platter

she stares at the blank page
hoping that she won’t fall in
not again
not again

last time she came this way
it was better
there were words on the page but

now there are no words
no words at all
there’s nothing here to show where she’ll end up
so she
can’t fall in
can’t go down
can’t step out
into that
blank world

where have all the words gone?

it changed
it changed
it changed
he pulled the world out from
under me and it changed

there’s a plate on my heart
empty
staring out like a headlight
like one beam of light
out into the darkness
this white plate
there is nothing on it

there is nothing on it
but reflection

the moon stole my heart away
but I got it back
when the words fell off the page
and the world fell away
I took it back off that platter
and now
I see the words again
all the new words

and there is nowhere to fall
I only thought there was