This poem is published connected to a project support by the DC Mayor’s Office of Community Affairs. Susan Mockler was a host of Day Eight’s 2026 Mid-Atlantic Review/Howard University retreat supported by the grant.
(After a series of images curated by Tony Medina*)
In my dreams I often go to the moon.
I play the flute, and a herd of cows
plods along behind me. Mama is there
with her rolling pin, and daddy, too,
with his bottle. Wheels fly off all the cars
without anyone noticing, as if spirits
want us to stop right there in that place
for some reason. The streetlights bend
and twist into pretzel shapes, making me
remember how much I loved pretzels—
all that salt—before. We should all wear
shoes with wheels so we’re able to make
a quick escape when everything becomes
too much, even if we’re wearing appropriate
skirts and blouses, ready for a day of work.
I keep dreaming and find myself in a ditch.
I am not sure where I am anymore. I dictate
the Origin of Species to Darwin. It is my auto-
biography. All around me, people are dressed
in white. I believe they are angels but they may
be bakers or why would they have flour
on their faces and hands? A giant bumblebee
sits in a chair. It looks like Alfred Hitchcock,
which is beginning to make sense in a strange
kind of way because there does seem to be
an aura of suspense. The dog on the bookshelf
makes me laugh—he thinks he is invisible but I
can see him. It’s the reason I prefer cats over dogs—
cats make no pretenses over who they are or what
they want from you. My son recently bought a boat.
I plan to cook Sunday night dinners on board and watch
t.v. while he fishes. At least that way we will spend
time together. People look surprised when they turn
into flying fish. I always think of Jesus at times
like these. The Statue of Liberty sinks into the ocean;
Native American elders and children dance together.
Don’t ask questions;
we are running out of time.
*Tony Medina is a poet and novelist, most recently author of the graphic novel, I Am Alfonso Jones and a past leader at the Howard University/Day Eight workshop.
Susan Bucci Mockler’s poetry has appeared in a number of literary journals, including the Mid-Atlantic Review, Maryland Literary Review, peachvelvet, Maximum Tilt, Pilgrimage Press, Crab Orchard Review, Poet Lore, The Northern Virginia Review, Gargoyle, The Delmarva Review, The Beltway Poetry Quarterly, The Cortland Review, The Paterson Literary Review, Lunch Ticket, and Voices in Italian Americana, as well as several anthologies. Her full-length poetry collection, Covenant (With) was published by Kelsay books in 2022. She teaches writing at Howard University in Washington, D.C.
Featured image Bread Ahead, CC BY-SA 4.0, via Wikimedia Commons
