Night Nurse
The moon lingers this morning
after a long night’s work,
no different than my mother
after a shift at the hospital in 1964,
resting on a bench with a cigarette
before descending below the street
to fight the flow of commuters
blocking the path to her bed.
I see only a thin crescent,
unable to fathom its fullness,
its power to sway a body of water.
Matthew Kohut has worked as a writer, teacher, and musician. His poetry has appeared or is forthcoming in Tar River Poetry, River Heron Review, and The Dewdrop, among other publications. He is the co-author of two books of nonfiction. His poem first appeared in River Heron Review issue 6.2.