for Jelena

              born under the same gibbous moon
              waxing – fifty-three percent full
five hundred cycles we dreamt through our days
with sex, werewolves, vampires, sociopaths
popstars – night animals for our girl’s play
rated R – I roam the dark side, the bright
part shines for you to thrive under… I guess
you’re haunted by threat, thus promise-hungry
while I’m cursed by promise, relishing threat
              tell me, honestly, isn’t that
              the peanut butter and jelly
that sustains the sandwich made with our bread?
I’ve lost count of the threatening amount
of sorries I still owe you (you might find
them in a poem – promise!) – instead I
trust our lunar glass to be half full and
ask ‘There will be a supermoon tonight;
wanna sit on the hillside with some gin
              to watch the creatures creep nearby?’
              no words needed, you simply grin

==

This poem first appeared in Pale Fire – New writing on the Moon, The Frogmore Press, 2019.