Under an October Moon: A Prose Poem

Wednesday Prose Poem: let there be night

The shadow becomes sallow becomes yellowed taper — under a streetlight — before becoming smoke with their dog — passing through — it’s a night walk — but

after 2 a.m. — now there’s mostly silence — mostly the anger that ripples under the pillows some six or seven klicks away — stony gazes — won’t look for the moon in October

— until it turns red again — and in all the blood can’t ignore it — the grieving stays on and on — goes all night if it has to — if we harvest less optimism — can we be blamed for giving up

on every manifesto — can the other show up — as something more than a shadow —

they are all walking away — drinking away sleeping away — and not looking at the road as collective determination — all against all — or not quite — save the family — save that old bible — outdated

perhaps — but valued and over above the heads of those who don’t see — who won’t commit to repression — or again — and still the repressed burbles their hate — flat beer though missing too many processes —

not nearly enough fucking light — but the moon has remained bright — could we look at that — can we shut up long enough to make something stick?

J.D. Harms 2021

Prompt:

Okay: so some pandemic annoyance worked its way into this piece. Choose whatever topic you wish, to write a prose poem, but let there be night. Whatever you choose to write about needs to be set after the sun has gone down. Yes. The graveyard-shift-worker in me loves the dark. So get a bit darker, and tag me in it, yeah?

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