Founded in the fall of 1991, Laurel Moon is Brandeis' oldest, national literary publication. Each issue we publish features original work from undergraduate students.
once upon a mountain river
there was this wizard
reborn from whitewaters.
they say the faint heartbeat
from forest laughter
is his lullaby of throatsinging
and goat-skinned drumming
to coax nature spirits away from children
hanging from skyscraper balconies.
they say when you see him strap
an axe and fishing pole to his Jaguar,
dry rhymes dribble from his lips
and the air grows aromatic of Rosé.
they say he furnished hollow houses
with herbs and Indian incense
to mask how his blood reeked
of overflowing nectar.
they say his garden is wealthy
of candies for the mind,
but if fear fogs your eyes,
only paint and espresso
you will inhale
or perhaps, if you are lucky,
you will glimpse his goats
dancing to the Beatles.
but that day, I watch his cowboy hat—
a pearl by the bonfire—blackout
from clicking Corona bottles
and we hold our breaths
until his drum beats again.