The Hunter’s Moon 2024
I thought about you as I looked at the moon last night,
And I was so tired –
I looked at the big moon and it swallowed me up – whole
I knew, though, that as I stood in my driveway – looking up at midnight
That you would be looking up at 4 a.m.; you would be doing just this - a few hours later than me –
And then I think about time – how my time is separate now -
Separate from what Earth used to be – I levitate above it sometimes.
I think about how I may seem illuminated
And to you – full, but it is only the light we keep talking about on Monday nights -
– that of something which you would call a spark
And I would call air. Because of this I am very careful.
I’ve become untethered. And this was my goal.
I live on the moon,
It’s my home. I travel there, but I am also always here.
I am foreign while I am also home in this suit I wear,
A busy astronaut – a tired space traveler.
I have so much I want to do
But I am growing potatoes and cleaning tubes
Staring at screens – remembering childhood and doing all this fondly – which
Is only possible when there is the moon in the sky
The Hunter’s Moon
Christine Munsell © All Rights Reserved 10/17/2024
Can a Jilter and His Jilted Make Music Again?
I saw my old banjo case
in the back of my closet,
where for years it languished
with the instrument inside.
I recalled the day we split
and I gave my heart to a guitar.
Something moved me to brush away
the dust, and I hauled that old case
into the bedroom where the banjo
and I long ago made music
together. I opened the lid
and gazed upon my old love.
She was as I remembered her.
The wooden neck I used to cradle
was still a dull, faded brown.
The frets in front were worn down.
The five steel strings were frayed
and no doubt needed tuning.
As I so gently lifted
my ex out of her dark grave
I noticed the marks still etched
into the light synthetic head--
flaws made by my errant
fingerpicks scarring her beauty.
I recalled her patience
as this beginner slowly learned
how to treat her properly,
how to make bluegrass music,
how to introduce her to jams.
But all that was in the past.
Could lost love be rekindled?
I had to find out, so I slid
my picks onto my left pointer,
middle finger and thumb.
With my hands in their old places,
I tried to revive our magic.
Hesitantly, pick by pick,
our very first song together
slowly emerged. “Cripple Creek.”
I paused to savor the moment.
Time apart did not destroy love.
My muscle mem’ry was still there.
like sky, like water
like water lilies
across an open pond
holding the heart
of the cosmos
just beneath the surface
rippling, trembling water
surely nothing
compared to falling
from the sky
flames racing to engulf
this precious heart
floating to the surface
tired
the sky knows not who it is
or where it ends
or where the water begins
the universe becomes alive
as never before
and releases song after song
in longing, in loving,
in losing
everything perfectly alive
10/13/24
Revenge is a dish best served cold
Revenge is a dish best served cold
September 30, 2024
It only took six months of workouts
It only took four nights a week of double shift overtime
I learned to speak French with a French accent
I had my teeth fixed and cleaned twice
Hair and nails et al
Then, I found the courage to confront him
I was razor sharp
I was going to decimate him where he stood
He was to be putty in my hands
Putty in this form is flushable and easily buried
In front of witnesses,
He arrived 30 pounds overweight
Without his weave covering his bald spot
His breath smelled worse than his body
Black shoes with brown socks
A whore on his arm
But an Uber for his ride
Revenge is a dish best served cold
But, only to those worth serving
You are important
Why are you sad my dear?
Don't you see?
This universe;
whose beginning we know not;
and whose end we can't see;
created you.
You originated from this vastness.
Every cell within you,
filled with Gods divine energy.
You are limitless my love.
Your pulse is the heartbeat of this universe.
You were created to be alive,
To breath in sync with those around you.
Your existence was divinely orchestrated.
The life force energy that fills the cosmos,
Exists within you.
Radiate it my love.
Show the world.
I am the universe.
My life has a purpose.
There is meaning to my existence
I am in servitude
You see.
Everyone who exists
Was created from that life force
We're all connected dear
We create an ecosystem
Our breaths are all in sync
To keep this earth full of life
You are important
Don't ever forget it
You are important.