What I saw
was a line of smoke
scribed upon the sky
in a confident hand,
like the swift first streak
of an artist’s signature.
This was not
some willy-nilly
scribble
of carbonized particulates.
No.
Graphical in nature,
the arc was infused with information.
It was
an ember-tipped flourish
that induced a state
of euphoric anticipation
in the mind of every beholder–
a clear-slated readiness
for whatever might come next.
Spontaneous genuflections
and the unconscious
recitation of mantras were
observed throughout the region.
Troubleshooters
of a less mystical bent
chose to term
the event a simple meteor–
and the induced
apoplectic condition,
a rapt confusion—
while reminding us all
that outer space
is very well permeated
by awkwardly
placed
rocks.
Regardless.
Where the tip
of the quill
had touched the canvas,
there had been
a gleaming orange
tracer.
And where the tracer
had touched the horizon,
a dazzling puff
of innuendo.
Then nothing.
Silence.
For those with ears to hear,
the world was changing.
The heralds were
lighting up the sky.
We sent in our Chief Investigator.
We sent in the Buddha.
He rode off for the horizon
on horseback with an entourage
of sages, priests and naysayers–
with standard bearers and singers,
journalists, harpists and poets,
and the odd geologist,
all standing at the ready.
The whispers scurried
across the land in their wake
like a tide of serpents
writhing out from their hoof prints.
Was it the beginning of the end?
Was it a portent of the Holy One’s return?
Would the locusts be next?
Would the beans germinate in the fields?
For some, it was clear:
the unjust would stumble and fall.
The meek would inherit the earth.
Others were answering the
celestial bell with industry–
stockpiling ferments,
woolen clothing,
sharpened blades,
yak dung,
dried meats
and other such necessities
as the brief preservation
of a particular life
would require.
By the time I arrived,
the crowds had gathered
in thick and bustling quantities.
There was a man-size boulder
at their center,
and a great, smoking sclaff in the ground
where an unskilled god
had swung and missed
with a seven iron.
Sketches were being drawn.
Proclamations being penned.
A geologist was explaining a specimen
of the cosmic rock
to a party of the interested,
pointing out its glass-like properties.
The sky-watchers had assembled
a flock of telescopic flamingos
on a nearby hillside,
but left them to graze quietly
upon the clouds
while they expounded
with full-armed enthusiasm
upon the significance of all that had transpired.
And what would probably come next.
There were dancers and singers
dancing and singing.
There were food stands
setting up along the periphery,
and knit textiles in the offing.
What had become
of our Chief Investigator?
No one knew.
What did it matter, anyway?
To be honest, they said,
his findings so often
lacked the oomph
of his predecessors.
On the ride out
an elder had fallen
from his trusted stead
and bruised his ribs.
I found the Buddha
tending to him,
holding the tiny hand
of the elder’s grandson
while they walked
back and forth to the trees
to collect small sticks
and seed cones
to build a fire
to heat some water
to make some tea
to warm a heart.
What do you think?
I asked,
once the fire was going strong
and the sticks were popping
and the water boiling.
A cosmic event
has occurred in the sky, he replied.
And just like this cup of tea,
which he held
carefully to the lips
of the rib-bruised man,
it has changed
everything,
everywhere.
Forever.
The grandson watched
his grandfather take a sip,
standing silent and still
for just an instant,
his head slightly askew,
before lunging off
towards the trees
in a karate-chopping
stick-brandishing
shrieking
bullrush.
Embracing Forever 
I celebrate your giftedness, Michael. Peace! ~Dennis
LikeLiked by 1 person
Thank you, Dennis. Hope you are having a joyous Easter celebration!
Peace
Michael
LikeLike
beautiful Michael. Did you channel this? It does not really matter, but the power feels so otherworldly, like at the Otherworlds cafe, where veil wearing are strongly discouraged as they have a no veil policy.
peace,
Linda
LikeLiked by 1 person
Thanks, Linda. No… no channeling. Lots of rewrites and second guesses. I guess it’s channeled in a way. I just need to ask for the statements to be repeated on multiple occasions, and seldom in the same order. It’s a little more like digging up a strange buried object– at first it’s not at all clear what it is, but as you uncover more bits and pieces, you start to see how it might actually be a whole.
I love your analogy of the Otherworlds cafe. Sounds like a good place for a hot coffee…!
Joy
Michael
LikeLiked by 1 person
A cosmic event or a sip of tea. It’s all the same.
Beautiful writing as usual Michael. Thank you.
Alison ❤
LikeLiked by 2 people
Thank you, Alison. Yes, it’s all the same. We can trust ourselves and the guidance systems we’ve been provided, because it’s as simple as a cup of tea… ❤
Michael
LikeLiked by 2 people
What an amazing write… I read your poem twice… It was like a melding of the ancient and New.. and A cosmic event indeed… I think the Grandchild had a wise Elder to hold his hand and teach him the skills needed to walk this land.
Wishing you Well my friend this Easter Day .
LikeLiked by 1 person
Thank you very much, Sue. I’m glad you enjoyed it. I guess it did have a lot of times and places bound up in it. And yes, land-walking requires a certain amount of training if one hopes to be successful…
Hope you have a lovely Easter Day, too.
Michael
LikeLiked by 1 person
I did.. I went walking too this morning… its good to see Spring bud on trees finally trying to burst forth.
LikeLiked by 1 person
Yes! We’ve not reached the state of bursting forth here yet. Still clearing out some residual snow. But the days are lengthening, and the light is majestic, and it’s all about to happen!
Michael
LikeLiked by 1 person
Really liked this poetic story Michael … for those with the ears to hear the celestial bell:), the eyes to see, and the heart to feel, each moment comes as a divine call with deeper lessons hidden. Thanks for the laughs that came from the ‘stockpiling’ mention in the poem. I went googling with ‘Yak Dung’ 🙂 to figure out how that would fit and learned some interesting things I had no idea about. Late wishes, but hope you enjoyed your Easter Sunday.
LikeLiked by 1 person
Hi PR, I’m so glad you got a good laugh at this one. I had some fun with it, too! I don’t know where the yak dung reference came from. I’m guessing a National Geographic magazine I read in the dentist’s office or something. It’s amazing what arises sometimes when you’re in that moment of creating something– reaching into your subconscious for assistance, and staring bemusedly at what comes out.
My Easter Sunday was lovely, thank you. Hope yours was as well…
Peace
Michael
LikeLiked by 1 person
Your turns of phrase make me grin inward and outward – the “dazzling puff of innuendo” takes a particularly prominent seat in my heart – as does the writhing serpent whispers. I think I missed the whole affair, not joining the crowds, not helping the fallen man, not even investigating the boom, but I slept away from it all, not in a current phase of interaction. When I return to a world that can think that anyone lacks oomph, I hope to recognize the holy sips of tea, and still show up to mark the sky and earthly changes.
LikeLiked by 1 person
There’s something to be said for sleeping right through the madness, M! Makes me wonder if I woke up on the wrong side of the day or something. Where’s that other one!? The one on the other side of right here… Where’s that!??
I think it is good to be in a world that doesn’t doubt a person’s naturally born oomph. If I take this meaning correctly, (a we’ll see type of place), I wouldn’t be in a hurry to depart. Perhaps the Buddha delivers…?
Hope you have some recovery time from the essays. I’m due to write one now– a monthly summary of what did and didn’t happen as compared to what reasonable think ought to have happened on a project. I’m thinking of just saying, it happened, we just don’t what it meant. 🙂
Michael
LikeLiked by 1 person
Whatever side of the day you are waking on seems good for inspiring words 🙂
Finally done with essays, save one with a dubious source I’m tracking down. I would so love to receive such a report as yours – and I often imagine we are moving close to a world where intrinsic oomphness is recognized as is the deep truth towards which your succinct yet profound words point. After you give your project report, we are all released early to wander will we may under this April sun.
LikeLiked by 1 person
Still working on that one report, myself… 🙂 The week became a tempest rolling across the sky. There seems to be a pattern to this madness, just like there is a pattern to the business end of fire hoses. Hope you tracked the dubious essay down to much ado about nothing. And may we all partake of some climes notable for their intrinsic oomphness in the days ahead…
Michael
LikeLiked by 1 person
” It is clear ” Michael ….that within your words so divinely ” infused “is a silence in between , one that rests powerfully in my heart as I travel here with your poetry on your “arc” ….I don’t know just how to say Thankyou , for on this morning after Easter I am no longer weary , but filled with miracles …. much , much Love ….xxxmeg
LikeLiked by 2 people
Meg, thank you! Thank you for taking that ride through the sky! It’s quite a vantage point! I don’t know just how to say Thank You either, but it won’t stop me from trying. Hope it was a beautiful, abundant day where you are.
Love
Michael
LikeLike
Hi Michael! I’m so happy I read through the comments because the very first question I had was, “How do you write like this?”
Your ability to put words on the page…rewrites…second quesses….digging and all…is truly a gift. The most wondrous gift. I hope that this process brings you as much joy as it gives us who read it.
I’m not always certain where you are headed on the first pass, but it always feels familiar or at least some place I WANT to go!! Thank you, Michael. I send you much love ♡♡
LikeLiked by 1 person
Hi Lorrie,
Thank you for such a lovely response. Writing is indeed a joyful activity for me. It has really in some ways become my path to keeping centered in some ways. I’m seldom aware of where I’m going on the first or the second pass! I’m glad you hang in there with me and keep digging. It takes a kind heart and a loving imagination.
Much Love to you as well-
Michael
LikeLiked by 1 person
Wow. I’m stunned as always by your posts. Thank you. ❤
LikeLiked by 1 person
Thank you, Sarah, as always. Now that I have been able to set my week down, I look forward to catching up on your posts. I’m very interested in the written conversation you shared recently.
Sending Love-
Michael
LikeLike