luna’s fall

when the veins of rivers vanish

into the womb of the earth,

and stars spill fiery tears

upon the bones of the sky itself,

and when pale luna is left

without her throne,

and roses curl and shrivel

into themselves,

she will know

how the core of the world

twists in pain too vast for words.

those who breathe between worlds

will sense

his absence,

for the scent of the ocean will rise

into the air,

and the wind will whisper secrets

into the nostrils of men,

calling them

to look above.

candles will burn with tears of wax.

the stars will wrap themselves

around his pale, luminous body,

lifting him

into the vaults of trembling heavens.

from her dreams,

peacocks will emerge,

their wings like beings

close to the divine.

and she—

she will dissolve into the black earth

to embrace him,

to meet him in the roots of the world,

to hold him forever

in the silent eternity of love.

By Tea Franca