“The night was clear and the moon was yellow”
Opening line to “Stag-O-Lee”
The night was clear and the moon was yellow.
The neighborhood seemed covered in velvet.
We felt in danger but we didn’t know
what could be watching us from just below
a sunflower’s ragged yellow bonnet.
The night was clear and the moon was yellow
cloth wrapping our house, the yard, the willow.
Would an arsonist spring from our fire pit?
We felt in danger but we didn’t know
why—the cloudy morning made us mellow.
It was like waiting for a storm to hit.
The night was clear and the moon was yellow–
the clunky grandfather clock was too slow.
Time sat beside us for a while and quit.
We felt in danger but we didn’t know
of a way to force the evening to go.
We found some candles ready to be lit.
The night was clear and the moon was yellow—
we felt in danger but we didn’t know.