To The Moon

by

Octavio Quintanilla

 

I’ve never written a poem to the moon,
though I look for its light
once I say goodbye to those who invited me
to dinner and drinks,
once I follow the lead of good conversation
into the nocturnal arguments of silence.
And I move into the night
stepping on the snake of moonlight,
watching it slide between small stones
before it gets on its way
to embrace the slumber of mice.

I’ve never written a poem to the moon,
though every night
my hands shape themselves into a cup,
and I drink a gallon of moonjuice,
sometimes even two,
well aware of how quickly I am drawn to darkness.

 

Octavio Quintanilla hails from the Rio Grande Valley, South Texas. His poetry has appeared in Steam Ticket, Cranky, Lily, BorderSenses, and other journals. It has also been anthologized in Coloring Book: An Eclectic Anthology of Poetry and Fiction by Multicultural Writers (Rattlecat Press). At the moment, his novel, tentatively titled This Is the Life, is looking for a publisher.

 

 

 

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