Where’s Your Plaque, Moon Tree? – Written ‘In Synergy’ with “Moon Tree” by Karen Bagnard
You should be honored, so special that you are, circling the moon
when you were but a seed, a tiny nib of promise, one of hundreds
pouched in the Apollo astronaut’s suit, as his module blasted round and
round the dusty moon 30 times and more, you fast asleep, Colonel Roosa
wondering if you’d survive the nothingness of space.
You did.
You and your sister seeds.
And Roosa brought the celestial down to earth, forever melding 400 seeds
baptized among galaxies with brothers rooted in terra firma.
What are you? Which team of seeds were you?—
sycamore, Douglas fir, sweet gum, loblolly pine, or redwood
For 50 years, you’ve pierced the soil where planted, doing your team-player
duty, like the colonel, assigned, consigned, committed to being, and
staying, guided by mission. You’ve plunged your brawny feet deep
past stones and weeds, raised arms to rainstorms, devil suns, and
winds. You, primed among stars, are a star in dirt.
I see you now, undressed, your body with the girth of years, skin
tough and gnarled. With your limbs bare, I can’t discern
identity: sycamore, fir, . . .? But you’re a moon tree, with or
without an engraved plaque on a stake. A moon tree, part of a
dynasty of celestials scattered, then rooted, across Earth. A moon tree,
touting an unbreakable bond belying the vastness of heaven.
You’re So Ready – Written ‘In Synergy’ with “Untitled [woman with eyes closed, lips puckered]” by Patricia Gay
…oooh, so so ready for that kiss, your cheekbones
flushed and glistening, ready for his face to brush yours
lentemente, his lips to skim your moistness, gliding on
a breeze, there not there, sure of their spell
how can your eyes await his lips with such silken
calm, queenly, sealed like perfect wax to feel, not
see, to make his nearness the unwrapping
of a gift
a tiny heart, a shadow where lust has swelled your
lips, a trembling aperture in the center of your moans, will
be anointed with his flesh, and ooooh, the poles of
earth will shift like water slaking thirst
Thelma T. Reyna is an author, editor, and book publisher, the founder and owner of Golden Foothills Press, based in Pasadena, CA, and one of the few literary indie book presses in the U.S. owned and operated by a Latina. Her poetry, short fiction, and nonfiction have collectively earned 22 national and international book awards from 2010-2022. She has written 6 books—a short story collection, 2 poetry chapbooks, 2 full-length poetry collections, and a memoir in poetry; has edited 3 anthologies of poetry and nonfiction; and, as Chief Editor, co-edited Doctor Poets & Other Healers: COVID in Their Own Words, a recent Gold Medal winner in an international book competition. Dr. Reyna served as Poet Laureate in Altadena, CA, in 2014-2016. She was a Pushcart Prize Nominee in Poetry in 2017 and holds a Ph.D. from UCLA.
