Rabbit's Moon

(Still from Kenneth Anger's "Rabbit's Moon")

Yea Perriot

Fallen in love with the moon

So far

Over and over again

You reach

For the lover who isn’t there

Perriot.

The rabbit, the moon and thee

Are three.

Shine on silvery moon

And hear

The bells reveal the doo-wop tunes

So clear

On this night

 in the forest of flowers.

Here comes Harlequin

To beguile with tricks of air!

Walking the tightrope across the ground

Juggling nothing, cavorting and tumbling

And leaping about!

Don’t look such a fool Perriot,

Look further than his wand!

For with his magic lantern


Behold!

He’ll conjure the sun

Maya, illusion, a beauty…

Sweet Columbine!

Fool Perriot

Who spurns the mirror and the lute

Has turned

And thrills to her lovely dances

Mechanique

Oh what would you give

Naif Perriot

To be her one and only dream-

The moon?

But now you are the one who’s spurned

She dances

Now with Harlenique!

And now the lantern shows a fear

The moon eclipses, dark and drear

Disaster for poor Perriot

The fading of all the love he knows.

But soft! Your better angels come…

And show reflection and the tune

Again you hurry from your room?

Into the silver forest gloom

And there’s the rabbit in the clearing

The moon 


a spotlight on his hearing

Is something there that you are fearing?

To fall?

And Perriot

In the garden grasping, flying

He tumbles

Towards the magic light

And when the ragdoll hit the floor

Poor Perriot

He was no more.