A Tender Wisdom

Things happened before life—
   liquids boiled
   boulders toppled
   volcanoes erupted
   twirling waters fell

Panic shocked his mind alive
   like being punished

My vision’s cold
   the earth’s so old
I’ll soon be gone

As short and irrepressible as life

There’s serenity
   in austerity
No joy
   without intensity

Summer again—
   the seasons flare and go
   like lightning

Even in sleep
   pain which can’t forget
   falls drop by drop
   upon his heart
until, against his will,
   a tender wisdom soothes him
   in its grace

-June 8, 2008-