In several Chinese drawings
the old monk asks himself,
“Why is Han Shan laughing at the moon?”

The moon, when she is half there,
is complete. When she is full,
she is no less so.

The moon, whether she is visible
or not, dominates the sky.

The moon suggests herself
by not rising.

The moon is not afraid of falling
or of releasing parts of herself
when they fall into darkness.

The moon is the first word beyond earth.
When his mother held a banana toward him,
Nellie’s infant nephew reached for it,
saying “moon.”

The moon has no memory
of how she looks from earth,
no fear of shadows.