Why the Nights Grow Long by Gabby Gilliam

Moon loves Sun

warm yellow light on windswept

peaks一she keeps her face

turned to him, her back drenched

in her own shadow一exposed

to the vast universe.

She pursued him slowly

at first一kept a coy distance

as she circled the Earth

marveled at the halo

of Sun’s aura as she spun.

She never gained on him.

The Earth became a wedge

between them. Moon hurried

her revolutions, funneled

determination into torque

but Sun grew no closer.

She paused.

Reassessed.

Caught her breath

while hanging low

and bright in Earth’s sky.

She renewed her efforts

pursuing Sun with vigor

Earth’s nights growing

shorter

and

shorter

until she had to stop again.

She slunk after Sun

Earth’s nights growing

longer and longer

until she was so filled with wanting

that she rushed to him, darkness

glancing over Earth as she closed

the distance between them.

But Sun remained

out of her reach.

Distant and indifferent

he distributes his incandescence

equitably一revolves relentlessly.

Moon trails after him

chasing his torrid heat.

She still reflects his light.

Bio

Gabby Gilliam is a writer, an aspiring teacher, and a mom. She lives in the DC metro area with her husband and son. She is a founding member of the Old Scratch Press Short Form Collective. Her poetry has appeared in One Art, Anti-Heroin Chic, Plant-Human Quarterly, The Ekphrastic Review, Vermillion, Deep Overstock, Spank the Carp, and others. It has also appeared in anthologies from Pure Slush, White Stag Publishing, Black Hare Press, Raven’s Quoth Press, Devil’s Party Press, and more. You can find her online here or on Facebook.

Author's note

"Why the Nights Grow Long" was actually born of an open poetry call. Mythos Poets Society was planning to publish a collection of poems about the changing seasons. While they were looking for poems about winter melting into spring and trees blossoming after a long freeze, they were also open to original myths. I love Greek mythology, and wanted to write something reminiscent of Ovid. The result became "Why the Nights Grow Long," which remains one of my favorite poems I've written. Thank you for reading it!

This piece was originally published in Fall of 2021 in Changing Seasons from Mythos Poets Society.