The Night Before — Clock Counting

AUTHOR NARRATION

Hear the poem.

Read by the author in the original English.

The Night BeforeEnglish narration

A NOTE FROM THE AUTHOR

Why “moonwells”?

I think the compound word here is self-explanatory and fitting: the “well” being the circular, deep, water-holding eyes and the “moon” conveying their otherworldliness in that moment.

I have seen this word before—in World of Warcraft, where a moonwell is a stone pool filled with glowing magical water, created by the night elves, sacred to Elune, and associated with healing and the restoration of magical power. That is not directly what is meant here, but it renders the simile no less apt, especially since both the man being addressed and I did indeed, at one time, play WoW.

A glowing blue moonwell at Twilight Grove in World of Warcraft. — A moonwell at Twilight Grove in *World of Warcraft*. Screenshot via Warcraft Wiki; game imagery © Blizzard Entertainment.

STRUCTURE + SOUND

Simple Finite Symmetry.

While this poem is simple and short, there are some symmetries and structures among the words within it that I find satisfyingly elegant.

Select or unselect the buttons below to highlight some of these patterns.

I wonder— do you know,

recall,

the things you said?—

(or were you even there?)

the things you said

which slipped,

withdrew into their vault cocoons;

it was bizarre, your eyes as wide & wet

as moonwells made

to exodus whatever was of me which

meant well, but

was not?

READER DISCUSSION

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