M.H. Lopez - Two Poems
Earthworm Moon
I’ve returned
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aimlessly wandering
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across the desolation plains
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following the moon's circles
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where only the coyotes and ravens live
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I cannot eat here, I cannot starve
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I cannot freeze in this deepest pocket of absolute zero
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I am bound like a senseless waveform
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So, I follow the winding moon with the immortal creatures of the night
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the moon passes, then it passes, and it passes again
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sometimes I see a shimmering mirage dancing in the night sky
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her
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pointes pirouetting off into blackness
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I imagine
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her, in the spaces between the stars and the moon and me
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faintly drawing circles
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over the frozen tundra
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once upon a time
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A homecoming of arcane delights
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a sea of growing bright burnt-orange
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bristling poppies create the sun
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and the ghostly moon
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reveals ancient willow trees, we carve our names into
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an inner light shines out
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and the words emerge
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like earthworms in green grass
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and the sound of water rises from rivulets
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and everywhere she dances
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the hummingbirds
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and the butterflies
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and the wild horses follow
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their paintbrushes full of oils
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recoloring the world
American Moon
The boundless darkness of the Sonoran Desert
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unfurled and oozed from the yucca blooms
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that we could see from our railcar
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that whipped by in the moonlight
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My mother giving birth, my baby sister
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lamplit in hay and amber
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we named her, Luna
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and we could say that she was probably American
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The elf-owls and sphinx moths sent word
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and the moon gathered the ghosts of emigrants wandering the desert, to see
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we had made it
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we’re going to make it
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I hope we make it
M.H. Lopez is a poet from the misty avenues of San Francisco, California, where he draws energy from the Pacific Ocean and the constant blanket of enchanting fog. His poetry relies heavily on deep imagery and dreamy landscapes, with a focus on the transformation of all things. He enjoys writing about ghosts, love, nature, and philosophy. He has published numerous poems in various literary magazines, is a co-editor at Mumber Literary Magazine, hosts open mics and events in San Francisco, and produces the poetry column, Driftwood, in the Sunset Beacon’s online newspaper. Check out his IG page, mhlopez.poetry, to see a full list of published material and exciting event updates.
Photograph: Blossom in Moonlight by JP Seabright
JP Seabright is a queer writer living in London. Their debut prose chapbook will be published by Lupercalia Press in early 2022 and collaborative poetry project published by Nine Pens Press also in 2022. They are Assistant Editor for Full House Lit Mag. More info at https://jpseabright.wordpress.com/ and via Twitter @errormessage