Protected By the Moon

Written for:  dVerse Poets Pub - Prosery Monday: 
Moonbeams and Moon Dreams  (posted by Merrill)

"Prosery is prose that includes a line from a poem. I will give you the line, and then you incorporate it into a short prose piece. This can be either flash fiction, nonfiction, or creative nonfiction, but it must be prose! And it must be no longer than 144 words, not including the title. It does not have to be exactly 144 words.

You must use the line that I give you below. You may change punctuation and capitalize words, but you are not allowed to insert words in between parts of the sentence."

“In their dreams
they sleep with the moon.”–From Mary Oliver, “Death at Wind River”


The children who never feel safe
during daylight hours
are pale, skinny, and sad. They
try to quiet the house, staying
in one room, waiting to hear
the click-click of mom’s high
heels. Dare not wake dad
who sleeps, snores, and grunts
during daylight hours. Should
he wake, his eyes slit, his face
roars red as a polished apple.
Mom comes home worn, and wary, 
but with a sweet smile 
for her children. When bedtime 
draws near, the children settle 
under yellow quilts. In their dreams,
they sleep with the moon
watching.

https://dversepoets.com/

About purplepeninportland

I am a freelance poet, born and bred in Brooklyn, New York. I live with my husband, John, and two charming rescue dogs–Marion Miller and Murphy. We spent eight lovely years in Portland, OR, but are now back in New York. My goal is to create and share poetry with others who write, or simply enjoy reading poetry. I hope to touch a nerve in you, and feel your sparks as well.

View all posts by purplepeninportland →