Shiva Moon: Poems

After we buried our father, the moon came nearest

earth’s center, resplendent in its wholeness,

most expansive night of all other nights,

the Shiva Moon.

Six nights after Maxine Silverman buried her father, the full moon coincided with the winter solstice and lunar perigee for the first time in 133 years. This juxtaposition of external brightness and personal grief is the core of Shiva Moon, her portrayal of the preparations for her father’s death, and the subsequent year mourning him.