Four poems by Leslie Shipman (poetry, ’07) appear online at BOMB Magazine.

Another Disappointing Perigee Moon

Hello, supermoon, my full-fledged saturant:
blaze-bright in the black sky. Tonight,

a mess is born. The marriage of chaos
and affection. To know too much, to desire

too much, the first time like a relic.

The oval orbit spins itself dizzy,
circles close, pulls away, deranges

the distances.

This is how I want you to be:

a body astonished, strung tight
across the black matte of evening.

A little bit drunk. Gaze-shy and stroked.

What to say when surrender comes?
What becomes of our promise to behave

like lovers? Science doesn’t lie.
It’s the end of a beautiful summer.

Read more at BOMB