The moon is a metaphor—
stands for the sun
confronts galaxies
on the milk trail
The sun is the god
she won’t believe in
by night
The moon remains
in the memory
of fire-worms—
She is the prophet—
mocked by all
traces history
as the sun reflects
gossamer truth—
flies over death
at the darkest moments
of exile
confronts galaxies
on the milk trail
The sun is the god
she won’t believe in
by night
The moon remains
in the memory
of fire-worms—
She is the prophet—
mocked by all
traces history
as the sun reflects
gossamer truth—
flies over death
at the darkest moments
of exile
Bänoo Zan is a poet, librettist, translator, teacher, editor and poetry curator, with more than 200 published poems and poetry-related pieces as well as three books. Song of Phoenix: Life and Works of Sylvia Plath, was reprinted in Iran in 2010. Songs of Exile, her first poetry collection, was released in 2016 in Canada by Guernica Editions. It was shortlisted for the Gerald Lampert Memorial Award by the League of Canadian Poets in 2017. Letters to My Father, her second poetry book, was published in 2017 by Piquant Press in Canada. She is the founder of Shab-e She’r (Poetry Night), Toronto’s most diverse poetry reading and open mic series (inception: 2012). It is a brave space that bridges the gap between communities of poets from different ethnicities, nationalities, religions (or lack thereof), ages, genders, sexual orientations, disabilities, poetic styles, voices and visions.