The Face of the Moon
Will de Kypia


Under the full moon a priest with
no faith pauses his aimless and endless
peregrinations to rest beside a lake.

His traveling partner, a dog with
no face, curls up next to him.

They sleep.

The priest dreams of his lost faith.
The dog dreams of her lost face.

When the moon begins to chant
a hymn of remembrance and regret
the two dreamers awaken.

The soul-stricken priest,
hearing the moon's sad plainsong,
weeps for his cast-off creed.

The dog, seeing the moon's
serene face mirrored on the lake,
thinks it is her lost one.

A fallen priest howls at the uncaring moon,
his boon companion leaps into a bottomless lake,
the cruel gods snicker in their celestial place.



It's getting late.
Click the clock
to go home.