Midnight Things
By Stephanie Kemp
November 5, 2025
Moonridge, CA 5:12am
I wrote a A Midnight Poem
(because it always takes me a minute to mentally settle down in the mountains):
Sometimes at night,
the moon is so bright
I wish I could dial it down.
But then I remember,
it’s not every night…
(and I miss it when it’s not around).
I also wrote this Alternative Ending (now that it’s 7:12am and I’m drinking coffee and feeling more optimistic after the Tuesday in America that was yesterday):
Sometimes at night,
the moon is so bright
I wish I could dial it down.
But then I remember,
it circles the world
to make sure I’m not lost,
but am found.
(Please tell me which one you like better. I am not kidding.)
And while we’re at it, why don’t I tell you about my Dream
(same caveat about needing a minute to settle down):
As usual, I was Working on Sharing (more of my writing) with people, so I showed my Pictures & Poems book to my friend, Nathan. (I had just written a poem about a house he had just built, even though I don’t have a friend named Nathan who builds houses, or does anything else.)
“Oh,” he said, not reading it. “This is a good idea, but you should use uniform notebooks and pens. I use Pilot Precise V5s and keep all of my Moleskins lined up on a shelf (after they’ve been published) so my kids can find them when I die. You also might want to work on your penmanship.”
Then, jumping topics, he added, “This is a secret, but did you hear Luce is pregnant?”
Having never heard of a person named Luce, I told Nathan I would consider his notebook and pen (and penmanship) suggestions, before hugging him goodbye under a massive skylight in his gorgeous office with lots of (paid) interns.
Later that day, I ran into another friend I made up in my dream, “Louisa,” who was gardening next to an Academy Award. (She pointed it out during small talk after I didn’t notice it while she was pulling out weeds between her Kangaroo Paws.)
“Can you believe this?” She asked, holding the statue with one hand under his privates and the other under his feet. “I won it for costume design on “The World is not Over.”
“But you’re a nurse,” I said, somewhat confused, but totally irritated.
“I know,” her mouth said from under her huge hat. “I actually just piddle with clothes for fun……Can you hand me that little Trader Joe’s tote? I can’t believe I finally got one. Oscar fits in it perfectly.”
“And oh,” she whispered… “did you hear about Luce?”
____________
I was obviously delighted to wake myself up from this dream when I had to pee.
I think I might be feeling some career (or lack of) anxiety. This is to be expected in 2025 when you live in Los Angeles and work(ed) in the film industry. (Plus you just had some accidental Cancer......)
That said, I am very happy for Luce, whoever she is…but only if she wants to have a baby, and especially if she lives in America. I wonder and worry about what state she lives in, even though (or because) I am no longer dreaming.
On a related note, I think it would be great to work at Trader Joe’s.
Still not kidding.
Please remind me that I said this.
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Moonridge, CA 5:12am
I wrote a A Midnight Poem
(because it always takes me a minute to mentally settle down in the mountains):
Sometimes at night,
the moon is so bright
I wish I could dial it down.
But then I remember,
it’s not every night…
(and I miss it when it’s not around).
I also wrote this Alternative Ending (now that it’s 7:12am and I’m drinking coffee and feeling more optimistic after the Tuesday in America that was yesterday):
Sometimes at night,
the moon is so bright
I wish I could dial it down.
But then I remember,
it circles the world
to make sure I’m not lost,
but am found.
(Please tell me which one you like better. I am not kidding.)
And while we’re at it, why don’t I tell you about my Dream
(same caveat about needing a minute to settle down):
As usual, I was Working on Sharing (more of my writing) with people, so I showed my Pictures & Poems book to my friend, Nathan. (I had just written a poem about a house he had just built, even though I don’t have a friend named Nathan who builds houses, or does anything else.)
“Oh,” he said, not reading it. “This is a good idea, but you should use uniform notebooks and pens. I use Pilot Precise V5s and keep all of my Moleskins lined up on a shelf (after they’ve been published) so my kids can find them when I die. You also might want to work on your penmanship.”
Then, jumping topics, he added, “This is a secret, but did you hear Luce is pregnant?”
Having never heard of a person named Luce, I told Nathan I would consider his notebook and pen (and penmanship) suggestions, before hugging him goodbye under a massive skylight in his gorgeous office with lots of (paid) interns.
Later that day, I ran into another friend I made up in my dream, “Louisa,” who was gardening next to an Academy Award. (She pointed it out during small talk after I didn’t notice it while she was pulling out weeds between her Kangaroo Paws.)
“Can you believe this?” She asked, holding the statue with one hand under his privates and the other under his feet. “I won it for costume design on “The World is not Over.”
“But you’re a nurse,” I said, somewhat confused, but totally irritated.
“I know,” her mouth said from under her huge hat. “I actually just piddle with clothes for fun……Can you hand me that little Trader Joe’s tote? I can’t believe I finally got one. Oscar fits in it perfectly.”
“And oh,” she whispered… “did you hear about Luce?”
____________
I was obviously delighted to wake myself up from this dream when I had to pee.
I think I might be feeling some career (or lack of) anxiety. This is to be expected in 2025 when you live in Los Angeles and work(ed) in the film industry. (Plus you just had some accidental Cancer......)
That said, I am very happy for Luce, whoever she is…but only if she wants to have a baby, and especially if she lives in America. I wonder and worry about what state she lives in, even though (or because) I am no longer dreaming.
On a related note, I think it would be great to work at Trader Joe’s.
Still not kidding.
Please remind me that I said this.
