Cataclysm - Jane Hirshfield

[Lawrence Robinson]

Cataclysm 

It begins subtly:
the maple
withdraws an inch from the birth tree.

The porcupine
wants nothing to do with the skunk.

Fish unschool, 
sheep unblock to separately graze.

Clouds meanwhile 
declare to the sky, 
they have nothing to do with the sky, 
which is not as visible as they are, 

nor knows the trick of turning 
into infant, tumbling pterodactyls.

The turtles and moonlight? 
Their long arrangement is over.

As for the humans.
Let us not speak of the humans.
Let us speak of their language.

The first person singular 
condemns the second person plural
for betrayals neither has words left to name.

The fed consider the hungry 
and stay silent.

	- Jane Hirshfield