Lunyi Svet (Moon World) Poem by Dónall Dempsey

All is
moon world.

Here in Russia

a moon
gets entangled

in some trees
& struggles

to break free.

A crow
laughing at its efforts
to do so

perches
on a chimney pot

precariously
dreaming

of nothing...nothing.

Here a London moon
goes to the Zoo.

A lion
grumbles in a dream

chases a gazelle
in brilliant sunshine.

The moon
laughing at its own reflection

as the Thames
the Thames

turns
silver

and soon... soon is sleeping

dreaming of tides & oceans.

And here
a Bulgarian moon


high over
Sophia

visits
your birthday

watches over
your sleeping

smiles
as you smile

in your dreaming

strokes your hair

and settling
at your feet

falls asleep
itself

dreaming of you.

LUNYI SVET:
In Russian... “moon world” or “moonlight.”

*******

MAAAT-MAT-MAAAT*

“Maaat-mat-maaat! ”

I call the words
and they swarm

like
bees

settle on
your birthday

take the shape
of this poem

the hive
of me

humming
with the blessing of you

with this remembrance
of you

being born

and always
the sound of your name

honey

upon my tongue.


*MAAAT-MAT-MAAAT

A Bulgarian charm to lure bees to swarm.


I wanted to write you a birthday poem as alive and thrilling as the sparrow singing in my garden but all I can lay at your feet
are these two dead sparrows...their music vanished from their throats...the sky useless to them now.

As you see(bemusedly) you are once again a muse to me. I hope the words amuse you. They were written for your delectation and delight.
I apologise for dreaming your dreams for you but I did actually dream the dream you dream in the poem.