Stella's Lullabye 

by Shaun R. Pankoski


The night has melded
blue into black
and I am your ocean; my tides
enfold you, pulling you closer
to sleep, to the moon.

And you are my tiny, sleeping
universe; a meteor
come to glowing rest
weighted along the curve of my belly.

Incomparably sweet,
this moment,
this mystery,

the top of your head pulsing
with the heartbeat of the stars.


* * * * *

Shaun R. Pankoski is a retired County worker living in Volcano on the Island of Hawai'i with her cat, Kiko, and a bunch of coqui frogs. She held a Top Secret clearance in the Air Force, was an artist's model for over twenty years and was a founding member of a Modern Dance company in San Francisco. She is a two time breast cancer survivor and makes a mean corn chowder.