Up

by Michael Dylan Welch and Tanya McDonald


First published in our book, Seven Suns / Seven Moons (Seattle, Washington: NeoPoiesis Press, 2016), pages 46–53. Originally written 7 April 2009, at SoulFood Books in Redmond, Washington. See also our two rengay from the book, “High Score” and “Torpedo,” and the book’s afterword.



first warm day

seven suns

are not enough Michael


seven moons

peer over the eaves Tanya


seven suns

the new immigrant

conjugates a verb Michael


wrapped in a frayed quilt

all seven moons Tanya


the fifth

of the seven suns

eclipsed Michael


seven moons

short a piece of silver Tanya


the treasure

hidden inside an egg

seven suns Tanya


playing golf

on the seventh moon Michael


do you like butter?

she holds seven suns

to his chin Tanya


seven moons

he pours her wine Michael


seven suns

the digits

of this phone number Tanya


once upon a time

seven moons Michael


lost in the weave

of a plaid slipper

seven suns Tanya


at the juvie center

seven moons Michael


the baby shakes

the seven suns

to pieces Tanya


sevenmoonlight

on the surgery scar Michael


seven suns

the black hen

eats another blossom Tanya


my head shrunken

by the seven moons Michael


seven suns

our tickets booked

to Mazatlán Michael


the sandcastle holds

seven honeymoons Tanya


arctic wind

seven suns

for seven brothers Michael


after the earthquake

seven silent moons Tanya


the butcher knife

stuck in the cheese rind

seven suns Michael


seven moons

what’s in a name? Tanya


a sun is a sun

is a sun is a sun is a sun

is a sun is a sun Michael


thistle seeds

scattering the seven moons Tanya


sevensunburned

the stranded pod

of pilot whales Michael


circulating the petition

seven moons Tanya


seven suns

the time it takes

to say I’m jobless Michael


carousel horse nodding

to the tune of seven moons Tanya


empty stadium

a hummingbird feeds

on seven sunsets Tanya


seven moons

since we met Michael


grinding the last

seven suns of coffee

for the unexpected guest Tanya


added to my star chart

seven moons Michael


seven suns

strung among the leis

around his neck Tanya


up up and away

to the seven moons Michael