Captivated

by Grace Hertzler

I’m waiting for the moon to top the trees.
I can’t abandon her just yet, so please
let me remain here with the whippoorwills.
The moonlight mesmerizes.
I dread departing for the sake of sleep.
I do not want to go to bed . . .
Perhaps the dog will let me doze on her instead.

Grace Hertzler delights in whippoorwills, woodsmoke, and syncopation.

Photography by Kenneth Godoy