As it always does,
this war,
started off so peaceful.
An afternoon,
sunny and agreeable.
Dissent was
sewn in jest and colors.
Some flag waving
and the band played.
Then,
just before evening;
someone said that they
thought they saw
something in the sky.
Hiding in the clouds
and fear spread quickly.
Most scoffed,
but they still gathered their children
and went home.
Some claimed to have seen it all before.
Some proclaimed the End of Days,
but they were doing that long before.
We started seeing
shapes in the clouds.
Laying down
on our backs
looking at the sky
and seeing anything
that we think we understand
with any real texture
is laughable.
So subjective,
our experience,
so arbitrary,
our conclusions.
Our leaps of faith
are Apollo missions.
We put ourselves out there,
really far.
Are we after something
that we cannot get here?
Or is it just so simple,
as we’re looking far away,
to find our place here?
Once the war of opinion starts
over who saw what;
the whole thing quickly
devolves into madness,
blood and fire.
The old way.
We just need
to close our eyes
for a little while.
Let those images
blow away.
The sky will be there,
when we return
tomorrow.
There will be
new shapes in the clouds.
New angels,
new devils,
new strife.
Just close your eyes.
HG – 2018
