Celestial Bodies

Julia Gagliardi

 a lunar crater a chunk of rocky crust a cryptogamic layer of erosion

the moon has no atmosphere of oxygen and gas to

                        protect

                        & safeguard

                        its smooth shape from impacting bodies.

dust, settles on bounces clean light in a bowl-shaped

            quickly peeling

ricocheting back and forth, hitting the dove-white, dove

-grey, dove-cream

surface of the moon.

            a bird recoils inside its own feathers

                        soft, dewy

            celestial bodies of light

                        bouncing wall to wall

a rebound

and hand to hand and

cheek to cheek

not gone, but at present to be filled

with a laugh that is

                                    full

a pot of water, boiling,

                                                a roll of yet-to-be-developed film

            there is a full moon

            not just one night

            always full

            bouncing light

into window frames

in glass bottles

in the eyes of lovers, friends

            and light refracts

                        & reflects.

Julia Gagliardi