Tuesday, September 12, 2017

earth note 522

after the boats capsize
the trailers topple
the road chews up what is left
& you know it's time
for the floods
they've been promised
like a covenant
covering the land
all the way in salt water
     brine
til you puke
til you reach
the great north woods
where the northern lights
never betray you
even in the snowbound
of frozen lakes
unaltered memories
leave the loons and herons
to sort out what comes next

there's no point in arguing
with the willingly deceived
every insurance settlement
is grand larceny
the losses are infinite
it may be a hundred years
before you see it

hillbillies
have always known this
     higher ground
may be rocky
roof falls happen daily
but moses never asked
for an arc

the superhighways
are false prophets
there's no concrete
water can't cover
all the mouths that
keep moving
have passed up the last
sound barrier

the sky makes no promises
the leaves are beginning to turn
but they're not
as sure of themselves
each year more tentative
     waiting
for high noon

--- e b bortz

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