Mars stood next to the moon,
Dwarfed by her size and light,
The vivid red of Mars neither large nor bright,
A point beside the moon—brightening the night.
The moment I glanced these two together,
I knew I wouldn’t describe the weather,
Only the moon and Mars, both silent and far away,
A portion of the universe circling to stay.
Last night I looked for the gleaming moon,
Where she had often been,
But yesterday belonged to the rain and the wind.
Tonight, here is Mars, and the bright moon, too,
The moon, familiar, but Mars I also knew.
I rarely see Mars, but there it was,
A hand’s length from the the moon—who makes me think of love.
Why, she wonders, do we call her moon?
Why, he wonders, do we call him Mars?
And how much foolish poetry is written
Underneath the stars?