On the Way to Perry Park by Sarah Dickenson Snyder

On the Way to Perry Park

Is there a man in the moon? he asks.
And I want to say,
There is a man in you.

You will grow into him,
the way the moon has become
a part of me—her pulling,

the way she rides
across a sky, her work
with the sea and in me,

how there is someone
in all of us, a small god.
I want to say,

keep looking up,
trace the pigeon sweeping
over the water feature,

step in a scene,
to gather whatever
lines a basin.

Is the moon following us? he asks.
We move together,
I say.

by Sarah Dickenson Snyder

Editor’s Note: This poem’s surrealistic imagery provides a wistful counterpoint to the child’s questions. Parents will understand.