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Wednesday, February 22, 2012

Risk

The world might end
by lunchtime, so
leave this moment alone.
Let it breathe.
Grief will come in time,
in all its untidy dress,
complicated and deep,
feeling a lot like fear.
Lifelong friends may think enough
of each other
to lie once in awhile,
even as we traverse oceans and
mountains and valleys of emotion,
preparing to die,
with certainty that there’s another way
to be in the world,
even without a remedy for death.
Uncomfortable as it is,
afraid as we are,
we can only listen to our breath,
find a calm corner inside,
engage with the world as it is right now,
and live with an open heart.
Dawn breaks for me
as my friends live in twilight.
Night will come soon enough.
In the end,
our lives are simply stories, and
the world will proceed
with its plan.

2 comments:

  1. Beautifully written, Dan! Struggling with similar emotions -- having recently experienced the sudden & unexpected death of a longtime friend, this poem resonates with me. You've captured it perfectly.

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    1. We are all getting too familiar with this, as natural as it may be.

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