October

Issue 49

slowly as if in a trance she walks around the village carrying the sun and the moon slung at either hip like babies for sale she says but no one wants to buy so she puts them back in the sky then she reaches up to grasp the clouds hawks them through the streets again no takers when she puts them back the clouds turn gray it rains for days weeks years almost eternally before it stops the stars she says surely someone will want to buy the stars and they do so she plucks them from the darkness sells each and every one captured bits of celestial fire promise to light our lives forever and ever since it’s been heaven on earth or so the legend says