It is the dark of the moon.
 Late at night, the end of summer,
 The autumn constellations
 Glow in the arid heaven.
 The air smells of cattle, hay, 
 And dust. In the old orchard 
 The pears are ripe. The trees
 Have sprouted from old rootstocks
 And the fruit is inedible. 
 As I pass them I hear something
 Rustling and grunting and turn
 My light into the branches.
 Two raccoons with acrid pear
 Juice and saliva drooling
 From their mouths stare back at me,
 Their eyes deep sponges of light.
 They know me and do not run 
 Away. Coming up the road
 Through the black oak shadows, I
 See ahead of me, glinting
 Everywhere from the dusty 
 Gravel, tiny points of cold
 Blue light, like the sparkle of 
 Iron snow. I suspect what it is,
 And kneel to see. Under each
 Pebble and oak leaf is a 
 Spider, her eyes shining at
 Me with my reflected light
 Across immeasurable distance.
Doubled Mirrors
written byKenneth Rexroth
© Kenneth Rexroth





