Beyond Midnight
by Janell Moon
writing samples
Dormant
What is this when words of insistence fly
and the body responds with tired silence?
Sometimes the stillness in a crater is a fire
not seen but quietly veining its storage through
to the marrow's set clock.
A crater without bubbling liquid
holds a beauty of its own
the wild female fuel lingering
until lava moves its silk down the long leg of earth.
Love Apparent
Love did not just wander into your life
as in the story you tell. Always love was
in the deepest recess of your body
as you swept the walk and
weeded the garden,
its kindness spilled from under your ribs
when your lungs relaxed
and your heart first melted.
From the folds of your skin, you learned
to find comfort in cotton and slightly worn things
The ripples near your spine
straightened, giving you height and a sense
of treetops and mountains.
Fear of betrayal in the old suitcase of your body
insisted on honesty, and your bowels relaxed,
your stomach, a springtime's mint, opened its grip.
Love as mouth and
breast and steam,
found silence,
quiet, oh, so quiet.