Tori, I’ve been editing these two poems to submit to the calendar (Theme: Shine). I am hoping these are ready. Do you see anything I need to change? In Blue Moon: “Is anything but blue” a decent line? Are they “strong” enough?

Blue Moon

Second moon of August
red-hot beacon
rises from the Great Lake.
The orange balloon
is anything but blue.
Natives call it
Sturgeon Moon
closest to us now.
It owns the sky
cancels the stars.
This red of a blue moon
throws torchlight
across the water,
ignites something in us.

And then this one:

While You Wait

Let a small sun
radiate from your chest
as you rush
to the post office, grocery store,
and then the pharmacy.
See the harried pharmacist,
and the stressed associate
who answers the phone
while she reaches for prescriptions
then sprints to the cash register
to ring up orders of pills.
People shift one foot to the other
wait their turn in line.
Turn your sun
toward your neighbor
smile with your eyes, your mouth.
Turn away from impatience.
Study these faces
this small community in wait.
Find kinship in the queue.
Let a small sun
radiate from your chest.