Night Lessons
1. Separation Agreement
Pallid and swollen,
the moon lifts itself
out of our fallow field
where we stand alone
together one last time.
2. Our First Meteor Shower
You made a point of telling me
that shooting stars were not
whole stars but shards
of light discarded by the night.
3. Astrology vs. Astronomy
We constructed a life together
the way ancient astronomers
constructed constellations out of myths
and legends and imaginary lines
connecting one emptiness to another.
4. Night Lessons
In the sky tonight, long dead stars
teach us Heaven begins with loss.
5. Nocturnal
The darkness cannot cast
a shadow without moonlight,
while the night only needs
the feathers of an owl.
6. Winter Farewell
When we finally say goodbye,
the moon hangs spider-like
for a moment in the silver
threads of our breath.
7. Waking to a Morning Moon
The night has come undone.
I find its lost, bright button
rolling across the dawn sky.
*
Kip Knott is a writer, teacher, photographer, and part-time art dealer living in Delaware, Ohio. His most recent full-length collection of poetry, The Other Side of Who I Am, is available from Kelsay Books. A new poetry chapbook, The Misanthrope in Moonlight, is available from Bottlecap Press. You can follow him on Instagram at @kip.knott and read more of his work at www.kipknott.com.
