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