I.
“It’s all over now, baby blue.”
In the buckling of the sky
(blue, almost serene, beyond my windshield,
Turned, in my mind’s eye
by the lyrics of a song)
I felt how creatures die
in the final overwhelm
that overcomes
the desperate, rising impulse
of life plunged into struggle.
They shut their eyes tight,
They curl up
They let it all go —
A sudden shift in priorities —
It all goes quite easily:
They open their eyes
And it is gone.
II.
Maybe each time we awake,
We die from the dream we were in
All those scenes
So swiftly forgotten
in the insistent brushstrokes
of the day’s reality.
Maybe we have died thousands of times,
or more (he said)
And it is something in our creature memory:
We know what it is.
III.
Against the backdrop of impassive sky
These tragedies roll out,
These cries of anguish,
All this waste, this grief,
The drudgery, the disappointment
And the clamor for relief
Yet we will give our all for life
Until the final moment comes.
IV.
I don’t intend to die today
But if I did
I would be satisfied.
I’ve sown true seeds,
I’ve shared my gift,
I’ve known great love
I have more words
But these could be enough.
©Wendy Mulhern
March 9, 2013
