Size / / /

I am taking back the moon

for the lunatics,

the lovers,

and the poets.

Real estate agents

may notice a gap in the night sky

and put away their signs.

The scientists can measure

the diameter of this darker

darkness,

triangulate its distance from Earth,

and conclude what's missing

must be the moon.

But I have it right here

under my arm,

wrapped in a notebook

leaking light,

and am coming toward you

with a poem it helped me write.

I pull it out and read by the moon's light:

         The Swimmer

     He dives into the moon

     from the pier on the lake,

     hits his target dead center;

     and, coming up for air,

     finds none.




Duane Ackerson's poetry has appeared in Rolling Stone, Yankee, Prairie Schooner, The Magazine of Speculative Poetry, Cloudbank, alba, Starline, Dreams & Nightmares, and several hundred other places. He has won two Rhysling awards and a grant from the National Endowment for the Arts. He lives in Salem, Oregon. You can find more of his work in our archives.
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25 Mar 2024

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