In the Beginning

I. Across the Disorder
The old women came first
shimmering across the border
You could see them a mile away
dreaming through the desert glaze
silver scarves straying
behind them like doubts
as they streamed to the rescue
Arriving in waves of faded caravans
pecking our dusty cheeks with light kisses
gathering us to shelter in silky soft arms
wrinkling their noses
to say
we can do better than this
— As if we were all their children.
II. Found in Space
Was that when we arrived?

Who knows? I have no idea
what direction we were heading
and the timeline is fuzzy
All I remember
is this wellspring morning
erupting into laughter
cascading through labyrinthine times
un-scrolling upon the feet
of dancers
to say
now we get carried away
— As if we all felt at home.
III. Stepping Out
Was that when a door opened?

I don’t recall the step by step order we followed back then
Whenever,
half-full of fragility
we bound ourselves up
in bright defiance
put on an honest disguise
and stepped over the line
One by one
unchained by each other
to say
will you come out and play?
— As if we all freed ourselves.
IV. Holding On
Was that when it got ugly?
Or beautiful?
This part of the story
has always been unclear to me
even upon reflection
I was busy looking away
Everyone was distracted
mainlining misery
heads cupped in hands
no hope of a homecoming
a return to civility
where someone
would say
I can hold you
— As if we found human kind.
V. The Harsh Sentence
Was that when words failed us?

I couldn’t say
They had served us so long
narrating blind alleys
scrolling past
ragged encampments
losing the plot
to storm the walls
where the statues of tyrants
lined up on our ruins
And then
— this surprise ending
tall stories collapsing
in a rubble of questions
to say
nothing’s written in stone
— As if we all understood our meaning.
VI. When We Returned
Was that when we went wild?
I don’t recall, it’s a long time ago
We were tame back then
and vicious
Still, something waited
at the unpaved edges
of the dire prescriptions for our future
As we congregated like crows
to hear the harsh calls
And we swam upstream
to spawn our small hopes
Until the wolfoyotes called us
into council
howling
are you ready to evolve?
— As if we all loved creation.


