The Human Experience

But what is its rationale? See, earth has nothing to do
with it. Neither does the sun, but mostly Venus
has nothing to do with it, being so small
and marble. It'll be the same old story, story, story, told
by someone close to death and that someone
could be anyone, we are all so close, in our own way.

In just a few short minutes a lunar eclipse will reveal itself.
From a mere two hundred twenty-one
thousand miles from earth at its perigee
(perigee = point at which a celestial body is nearest
to earth, derived from the Greek, and coined by Ptolemy)
the missing slice of moon appears almost perfect,

as if it were a perfect bite made by a perfect, godly mouth.
This may conjure up an idea of apples,
which could easily lead to Eden, and to depravity
and desire and urges and lust, and straight back to Venus,
the romantic image of utter, absolute perfection.
But what is not absolute perfection? Let's be serious.

Copyright © 2009 Nick Courtright All rights reserved
from Quarterly West
Reprinted by Verse Daily® with permission