Inconstant
by J. C. Runolfson
Before
man walked the moon
goddesses lived there
and rabbits
whole cities flourished
forests
strange winged creatures
man might call dragons.
Before man walked the moon
we looked on it
and knew it
and that knowledge drove us mad
hungry creatures howling
for its pale trees.
Before man walked the moon
the moon saw us coming
saw our madness
our hunger
thought it might be better
to play dead.
Copyright © 2008, J. C. Runolfson
Image Credit: Junior Ribeiro/Paulino Filho, some rights reserved
As a teen, J. C. Runolfson spent a lot of time behind a telescope, and one of her favorite objects of study was the moon. Her work has appeared in Lone Star Stories, Goblin Fruit, and The Sword Review, among others. She currently lives in San Diego.