| Carl Sandburg (1878–1967). Smoke and Steel. 1922. |
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| V. Mist Forms |
| 25. River Moons |
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| THE DOUBLE moon, one on the high back drop of the west, one on the curve of the river face, | |
| The sky moon of fire and the river moon of water, I am taking these home in a basket, hung on an elbow, such a teeny weeny elbow, in my head. | |
| I saw them last night, a cradle moon, two horns of a moon, such an early hopeful moon, such a child’s moon for all young hearts to make a picture of. | |
| The river—I remember this like a picture—the river was the upper twist of a written question mark. | |
| I know now it takes many many years to write a river, a twist of water asking a question. | 5 |
| And white stars moved when the moon moved, and one red star kept burning, and the Big Dipper was almost overhead. | |
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