(NASA/Unsplash)

Everything I wrote was imaginary 
Things never happened that way
If you ask her

She didn’t come along for the ride
As I said many times

So, she’s told me to leave her out
and specifically
Not to mention her name

anywhere—
not Even in the credits—

(to be clear)

I alone landed on the MOON
And only pictured her
Looking up from earth

reflected in the visor of my suit

Never really there—
I made the entire story up

But everyone liked the poem.

thought it was inspired. Maybe genius

And admitted to the possibility 
at least of the two of us in love. 

Stephen Rybicki is a poet and academic librarian on the faculty of Macomb Community College, and the author of the reference work, Abbreviations: A Reverse Guide to Standard and Generally Accepted Abbreviated Forms. He lives in Romeo, Michigan.

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Published in the April 2021 issue: View Contents
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