Second Dawn

We gathered to witness the day
at mid-morning, turning back toward dusk.
We shivered in a sudden chill. Streetlights kindled.
In the poplars, crows muttered
confusion. Venus stood cold at zenith.
We braced, breathless. Adrenalin spiked
the countdown: one full minute. Thirty seconds.
Ten. Nine—

loops of white fire girdle the black moon
smoke and fire dance on the horizon. Howl.
Howl, naked earth! Howl until
the phoenix sun slips the moon’s embrace
and the bonds of shadow loose into a second dawn.

Afterward we asked each other
did you see? did you feel?
did you cry, howl, fall on your knees,
were you filled to the tips of your trembling fingers
with awe?

With gratitude to Grandpa Gene Brick and all his descendants
Madras, Oregon, 8/21/2017

Available! High-Voltage Lines, Knocking from Inside