Then & Now This

Yes.
It is like that.
Sometimes
even the moon doesn't know
where her children are.
They sneak off into day
& are hidden behind the suns sheer brilliance
But the moon never stops calling
in that mothers worried tone
"have you gone far, children?"
This seemingly eternal game of
hide and seek finds itself
naked as the sun bursts
into a few rays
& then nothing.
Children are left bare in the black sand
with a million scraped knees
from halting up trees
& a million sprained wrists
from burning back down again.
Mama moon sees pain
and heals all
with a tender kiss
from her knowing lips.
we children fall under her
blanket of dreams
she hides us behind mirrors
while she goes outside
to do her bad deeds.
mama drops the last burning cigarette
to die a quiet, lonely death
on cobblestone streets
and walks back in to kiss us to sleep.