THE COST OF CALIFORNIA
as soon as
the ground begins
moving underfoot,
when windows rattle,
doors start to swing--
closed, open, closed again,
possessions move of
their own free will
with the slightest
encouragement
from their place
of safety
toward falling,
flying,
desks become caves
under or behind
which to hide,
the world rises
then swiftly falls
away,
up and down,
here or there,
inside or outside
becomes irrelevant,
all that remains
is the motion--
when will it ever end--
clocks keep ticking,
digits on cell phones
keep rolling over
and over and over
in LED progression.
glass just shatters,
car alarms keep shrilling,
motion without emotion,
unpremeditated
until
it just
stops--
again, without
reason.
Laws of motion,
laws of gravity--
objects in motion
stay in motion.
Possessions--
unless lighter than air--
must fall:
Newton's law of gravity dictating
terms again.
is it your first,
or just your
latest involuntary
transit across
(or through?)
terror
without an OFF switch?
stasis, having returned,
draws us out
to the ragged edge
of normal
to reoccupy
compassion, concern
for others.
is anyone hurt?
Is anybody bleeding?
Do you smell gas?
Why the metallic
taste?.
only then do you
know you bit your tongue.
reaching for the radio,
you seek out
the estimate of damage,
the cost,
architectural,
human.
which is greater?
epicenter?
Information, please.
No comments:
Post a Comment