Prayer for the Sun

6/13/02

A brilliant fire shoots skyward in the east
I’m in a baked, arid land
Gray hardpan beneath my feet
Dust in my teeth

Thunder in my ears, rumbling in my chest
I look west and spy the fog
A cottony mass of ink, rushing towards me on horseback
It passes over and veils the new sun
Blots it from above

My pulse quickens, war waging within
I want to grasp the sky
Make it crack, throw it to the ground
Scream until I spit blood

I want to explode
And annihilate the land
Slaughter the darkness
Make room for the coming of the light

But my legs melt, and I collapse
Leaving me a heap of wilted autumn vines
The fog above laughs with malice
Gnawing, chewing my heart

Instantly, the years launch ahead
An old man, I raise my cracked eyes,
No tears for them in this dry land

I cannot cry, but I can pray
In this desert I can still imprison longing
Still keep hope in shackles

I cannot wail, but I can wish
I can dream of the warmth dancing on my skin
And of the warm summer breeze surrounding me

And I can still burn to see the sun once again