MN poetry: Roberts Edwards’ “Accusing The Moon”

Robert Edwards grew up in Detroit Lakes, studied with Thomas McGrath in Moorhead, then lived in St. Paul for many years. He currently lives near Seattle and is editor of Pemmican, an online poetry magazine. His books include Radio Venceremos, American Sounds, Transparencies, and Rumours of Earth (forthcoming).

Accusing The Moon

O moon,

you wear me out.

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I'm a live wire

carrying the warm oil

of your current.

I arc blue screams

to everything I pass.

Your light digs a grave

in my forehead.

Your light butters the rust

on all the abandoned cars

I want to drive over the ocean.

Your faces all look down

their noses at me.

Moon, hear me out.

I can't take much more of this.

You come with your scythes of light

and cut my grain down green.

You make me say goodbye

to everything I love

by introducing me to it.

- "Accusing The Moon" by Robert Edwards, as it appears in his collection Transparencies, published by Red Dragonfly Press. Reprinted here with permission by the publisher.