August moon
for Annie, Susie, Hilary and Sue
She rose a ferrous and fiery hue
from the south-eastern depths of the sea
steam bursting from her every pore
and billowing across the blue-black sky
We watched her rise upon a tide
first red
then gold
then silver white
then went to bed
beneath a star-stitched bedspread
and sank deep into the August night
for Annie, Susie, Hilary and Sue
She rose a ferrous and fiery hue
from the south-eastern depths of the sea
steam bursting from her every pore
and billowing across the blue-black sky
We watched her rise upon a tide
first red
then gold
then silver white
then went to bed
beneath a star-stitched bedspread
and sank deep into the August night