The Flight Of The Moon Poem by Suzanne Hayasaki

In a dream within a dream
I stood alone on a beach.
As I looked up at the night sky,
The full moon unhinged itself and took flight.

At first it seemed to flee,
From satellites and their debris,
From the encroachment of technology
On its solitary serenity.

I watched it fly off on an elliptical path,
As if in search of a new orbit,
More remote from the encroachers
That litter its pristine sphere.

But then it curved back like a lemniscate
Arcing wider, growing larger,
Plummeting towards earth
Like an avenger...

And I awoke before the collision
To find myself within another dream -
Pajamas at work -
No textbooks -
My ordinary recurring anxieties.

But that full moon -
Escaping and then returning
In an eternal, twisting loop -
Stays fixed in my visual memory
Like a portent -
Or a totem -

Am I that moon?
Longing to flee
But destined to orbit?
Does something draw me
Like gravity
To repeat the same life
Like an addict
Expecting a better outcome?

Or is there hope
That with each swing by
This peril of a planet
Consciousness shifts just a bit?

I must believe there is meaning.
I must accept that I can't see it.
I can shatter myself on the surface of something greater
Or I can remain intact, in orbit,
Reflecting the light I receive for all to see.