the moon cries

By D.B. Cox

woke yesterday morning

to signal fires burning

web wires humming—

terrible news

put an ear to the rail

& felt it shudder

a dark train coming

like a slow-moving cold front

sadness gathers

like wind-blown snow

against the back of my brain

numbing the senses

nowhere to run

nowhere to hide

no falling to the ground

and crawling inside myself

no doors left open

all prayers connect to nothing

rage has no direction

no appeals to a higher authority

iron-gray coaches

drawing ever nearer

horn sounding a warning

at every crossing

there’s a black spot

on the horizon—

i zip my jacket

hide my head in a hood

an icy night is imminent

the kind of night

when the wolves are silent

& the moon cries

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