Today's poem is by Luisa Muradyan

Woman Posting in Parenting Forum
       

Friends, I have come to the end of my rope.
My child has decided that he is the moon
and I cannot convince him otherwise. His entire
face a moon, not a man in the moon, but a toddler
that is the moon, and yes he does give off light
in the darkness and yes some days he pulls the ocean
current toward his body and yes I've noticed
that when I take him to poetry readings
or art museums everyone cannot help but stop what
they are doing and begin to draw pictures of him
with images or language and yes there was of course
that one incident where someone shoved an American
flag into his back and yes, it was one small step for the boys
who marked him but a giant leap for me
across the playground and yes there was
that Halloween when he decided to dress like a bat
and a broken superhero showed up on our doorstep
and I had only peanuts to give him
when what he really needed was
purpose, I guess what I'm saying is I don't know
how to parent the moon and now I'm making this about me
because the scientists are telling us that the moon
is drifting away from the Earth and I gotta admit
most days my gravitational pull
is a dilapidated hug at best
and friends did you know
that scientists surmise that the moon was made
when a rock smashed into the Earth
and the more I look at my
son's birth photos the more I see my body
ripped open by my sun, no wait by my
moon who invites me into the space
of his playroom and smiles
with the fullness of his face
And I guess what I'm trying to say
is yes, I have been eclipsed by love.

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