Poem for the End of the World – I mean, Year – and Contemplating 2015

I think this poem, the very last one in my current apocalyptic book manuscript, applies equally to the end of the world and the end of the year. Poem first appeared in Redactions.

Epilogue – Or, A Story for After

I want to tell you a story about how we survived the end of the world. Crouched around a dying fire, I illustrate with shadow puppets the old, beat-up van, the velocity of water and sky, the unnamable odds against us. What really sells it? The way the ending goes on forever, moon ebbing closer to the mysterious dark, its craggy face calling out, the skies scattered with falling stars. The way objects are nearer than they appear. You next to me, and I remind you – here is where we used to be, here is where we are. I draw a line in the dirt with a fork and draw a picture – a house made of a square and a triangle, a single daisy in the yard, and two smiling stick figures. This is what we dreamed of, the day we awaited has arrived. There are no more shotguns or dusty trails lined with diseased corpses. A ship arrives on top of a mountain, heralded by doves; an airplane lands on another planet, seatmates dazed by the lack of gravity. We might teach the dragons to dance, learn the alchemy of soil again, rebuild libraries with tales of fantastic voyage. All I need right now is you, the simple weight of your hand, the warmth of your breath, and this last cup of coffee to tell me – we are miraculous.

I am feeling mildly optimistic about 2015. 2014 had some struggles – a broken bone, another case of pneumonia, a bit of a discouragement bender and a lot of bad news on the television – but it was better than the year before it, I think, in terms of life lived and health. In the tradition of the “vision board,” the sort of tradition I don’t really mentally hold to but enjoy due to my child-like entertainment levels with arts and crafts, here’s my 2015 Vision. (Hint: it’s happier! And has more business in it!) I have a new book to launch next year, a new business, and I’m starting next year out with some new practical steps towards a new kind of career (to be revealed later.) To that end, I just ordered a 2015 wall calender to schedule readings, events, work, and fun! Anyway, here’s to a better, happier, and healthier 2015 to us all! Happy New Year!