Monday, April 11, 2011

Beginning, as always, again: first of more

Today, the meadowlarks
                                For Japan, in spring

Imagine
                You wake up
         And the whole sky is
                Blown open
        The roof gone.
                You had plans today.
      But there goes the car
                On a wave of
     Someone else’s plans, and now —
                Now, the whole house is moving
Around you
     Nothing any longer
     Stands still
                Except you.
                You, for this moment
                   With your feet planted
                In full meeting with
The concrete earth;
     This earth
                That so far
Has been here every day
                In your waking, and
                In your sleep.
And now,
Imagine
That this end, this absolute destruction decimation disheveled black sky water dawn
Imagine that this is you
                Waking up
                And getting a second
                Chance.
                   In fact, imagine everyone around you
Receiving the same gift, a second chance,
At the same time
Waking up at last.
     What will all of you
     Do
     With this gift?

Some, even today, as grim and gristled and splintered as it is,
Some will keep their eyes shut tight
And complain
About the collapsed peaks, the houses washed out to sea,
The plans.
But you
     And even some of those
Close to you
     And some
                You will never know
You and they
Are beyond sleep.
As hard as it is
     To walk when the earth
     Is all buckle and bow beneath you,
The sky blowing above and around;
As heartbreaking
     To see the sleepwalkers
Falling into the caverns
welcoming them into
     the closing earth;
As blinded as you are
     By the tears  
                Washing out the grit of regrets —
You are simply done
     With once upon,
And are Here.
You, and the others, are here
Opening your arms,
Welcoming and holding the found
Children,
Waiting to hear the songs
That will lead you into spring,
As tonight, at my house, in my pasture,
The meadowlarks
Are announcing their arrival
In a multitude of tremors.

Ellen Marie Metrick ~ March 17,2011

1 comment:

  1. some absolutely lovely turns and a powerful ending. thank you for this.

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