Innocent Alifa

With my heart next to the moon

From my mother’s uterine wall,

I saw iridescence in moonlight plains

with my heart next to the moon

as I felt joyous strains.

From that time through the ages

and with all my heart next to the plains

through my in-between-ages,

I’ve been strolling with strenuous pains.

I may clearly see the lovely plains

through happen-stance from on high

for the joyous strains

are whispering to me from everywhere.

I relaxed he on the plains

with all my heart next to the moon,

reminiscing all lovely strains

flowed along the weary lane.

Next to moonlight

In my mind, I walk in moonlight

from the bright of light

and in the sight of right

Coming to right in the sight of light;

I see myself resting at noon

but time comes neither right nor wrong in tune

but right overshadows like a croon

and I’m soonest in tune.

My day’s often lit with light

and the crown of right is my light

for to be in the right is to walk  aright

from dawn till night bids well to light.

When I’m walking again in moonlight

by the light of moon thinking aright,

always until it turns to right,

I have to be in the light next to moonlight right.

Before next time is up

As a nestling flying to its nest

I often get tired and need rest

but I wouldn’t rest before the fest

lest I get trapped before next time is up.

I would fly higher to get to my nest

but ere long, I lose my zest

as a crest-fallen nestling with my yellow crest

lest I get trapped before next time is up.

Time’s soon up for the fest

and I weep with little or nothing for my rest;

haste not, rest not, I beat my chest

lest I get trapped before next time is up.

Don Kingfisher Campbell

The Misfortune of Being in America

In 2018 I met a woman from Hainan Island

A retired naval nurse, here on a tourist visa

She said she could stay for six months, but had

To go back for six to placate our governments

I met her four months in, so we had an intense

Two until I drove her to the airport in November

We continued to communicate using the WeChat

App because neither of us knew the other’s language

Spending hours of virtual text and video time together

Until a half year later I picked her up at LAX, then

We enjoyed a sex-filled six months of cohabitation

And became engaged to marry when my divorce

Would finally become final, but didn’t soon enough, so

I took her to the airport once more on December 10

She was due to return in June except the COVID-19

Virus took over the world in the winter and our orange

President hated China for the air invasion without a shot

Banned tourist travel for all the rest of 2020, reciprocated

By the end of summer, he tried to take it a step further

He wanted to end WeChat, our only way to understand

Each other with a click of a button, a federal judge

Overturned his edict, so we could still converse freely

It’s daylight savings time now, a sixteen hour difference

Between our zones instead of just fifteen, some change

Today is the election wherein we will find out if 2021

Will be a reunion year for us or the start of another

365 sleepy days and wakeful nights of picture sending,

Video sharing, 7000 mile apart masturbation. What’s next?