STARK NIGHTS

you trapped the moon
and hung her on a chain
a sparkling
shadowed pearl
that was advertised as a statement piece
and sold for the price of a small empire
from the pawn shop down on Main
and so there she went
hanging from a pretty girl’s neck
who doesn’t now
she bought the universe’s first love
and next you lassoed the stars
one by one
and wedged them
into little silver and gold cages
tied them tight and put them
in bustling city shopping centers
selling them as mementos of love
keepsakes of adoration
that quickly became penny rings
lost in drainage ditches
and gutters
tiny stars once more among the muck
of city pollution
but your final act
that was the most daring
not a simple street corner show with
a guitar case to collect tips
but a grand Broadway production
one for the ages
where you grabbed the galaxies
those great big gusts of beauty
and threw them over the city
a heavy blanket showering down
in a dazzling fleet
over every building and person and street and pigeon
and soon everything
everything was covered in glittering light and color
highlights dancing along roadways
neon lights reflected in shop windows
and old puddles gathered in bodega awnings
skyscrapers became puzzles of half lit
half darkened windows
and rainbows hung
with each turn of the head
the city bathed in light of every shade
becoming a beauty
from every angle viewed
swathed in your gifts