The night the moon fell

It happened sometime at the end of November

 On a night when chimneys were smoking and kettles were whistling

and as the people hid in their homes, trying to avoid the thick wind and brisk air

On a night when the remaining dark leaves fell from their branches

 to the ground, where they continued to whither

It happened on a night when no one was around to see it happen

On the night when the moon fell

The stars had tried to stop her

They tried to grab at her before it was too late

They were unsuccessful

She fell through their grasp just as they leapt for her

She fell onto a bed of grass on the river’s edge

 quietly and softly, so as to make sure no one would wake

The moon, herself, was unaware of what had happened

Unaware that she had fallen from her bed

For she was asleep, and dreaming of a different world

One with color and beauty

Beauty beyond her neighboring planets and stars

Perhaps that’s how she ended up in our world

Perhaps she simply dreamt herself here

Despite the fall she had taken, the moon stayed asleep

 snoring softly, nestled among the blades of greenery beside the river

Although most were tucked into their sheets and hidden away

Some eyes witnessed this feat

Eyes that belonged to animals whose home had just been visited by someone new

 A pair of rabbits had watched the moon’s descent

and followed her as if chasing a deflating balloon

 They followed her through the woods

 and in between the trees

up the hills, past the homes with sleeping children and smoking chimneys

 and to the river, where they found her resting

At the sight, one of the rabbits turned to the other in despair

 The second rabbit had an idea

 He quietly hopped to the closest tree and softly knocked on his trunk

The tree opened one of his eyes 

Leaves fell from his arms as he swayed himself awake

 The rabbit pointed eagerly at the moon, still lightly snoring

The tree gasped and looked up at the night sky

The moon was, in fact, missing from her spot among the stars

He looked back at the rabbits who pointed at his arms 

He nodded and carefully bent over to where the moon was resting

 He brought down one of his massive branches

 The rabbits worked on rolling the still sleeping moon onto a cluster of leaves

And once the moon was secured in her place

The tree began to lift her up

 He brought her higher than the smoke of the chimneys

 and higher than the clouds who all looked at each other in confusion 

The tree brought the moon back into the sky and back to her home

The stars rejoiced at the sight of their friend’s return

 They thanked the tree for his help and pulled the moon from his grasp

 They placed her back into her bed beside them 

just as the sun’s light started peaking over from beyond

At the sun’s arrival, the moon opened her eyes and smiled,

 Remembering the beautiful world she dreamt about

The cold one with smoking chimneys

 a river’s edge

 Rabbits

 And a magnificent tree.