“The sun was sinking in the west.” What

a self-centered statement! There we are,

yelling out the window at the night sky. Hey You!

Rustle your stars

into cartoons, will you,

the way you did Orion and his swinging

thing, or the Big Dipper

dipping darkness into darkness, etcetera,

so we can fancy

we find some meaning in your

meaninglessness

and damned distances. Oh,

the distances you hide behind!

For what? To enhance

your mystique?

You needn’t worry one bit.

You are the mystery

in our lives besides ourselves,

and we’ve already mentioned

our laughable

inwardness.

At least

there’s you! There’s you,

Moon baby! You

we love. For you

are a blast in the sky

we can stare at

without our eyes

melting out of our heads

like sap drooling

from a tree on fire.

And your stillness is sweet company,

compared to the

raging monsters out there

in the night with no sides.

DAN RICHMAN ex-Long Islander, has published three novels, three books of poetry, a memoir, and a book on ancient Greek Myth.