This Poem – (after Czeslaw Milosz)

“A bee circles a clover, A fisherman mends a glimmering net.  
Happy porpoises jump in the sea, By the rainspout young sparrows are playing  
And the snake is gold-skinned as it should always be.” - Czeslaw Milosz  

 
This poem reminds me of the start of another poem  
A poem about the end of the world  
But you don’t realize it was talking about the end of the world  
Until the end of the poem  
What was that poem? I know that poem  
But I can’t think of it  
It was by a Polish guy  
Emhoff? Mehan? Or something like Mehoff  
Oh yes, “Song on the End of the World”  
By Czeslaw Milosz  
But no, on second thought this poem is not  
About the end of the world  
This poem is like many other poems,  
This poem is about people, a family  
Gathered together to celebrate Nanna’s 90th birthday  
Uncle Frank has everyone laughing at his crude jokes  
Little Billy has wandered outside unnoticed  
And has made his way down to the pond  
Lying on the pier he watches a red leaf floating  
On a meniscus of water  
He grabs a post of the deck rail to steady himself as he stands  
So as not to become a tragic headline on the next day’s news.  
Meanwhile, teenage David with his girlfriend decide to  
“Take a walk together outside”  
And go just inside the edge of the woods  
Behind the out buildings  
They kiss and look into each other’s eyes  
Hold each other close then smile  
As hands start to explore  
Pushing the limit, trying to find out if there is a limit  
Everyone is living life suited to their age.  
It is just another day, strung together with every other day  
Weeks, months, and years,  
Decades, centuries, millennia, history.  
A day like any other day in time.  
No one gives any thought to the world ending  
No one gives any thought to eternity  
But this poem is not about the end of the world  
Though for many the world ended today  
Through accident or illness, old age or violence  
But no, this poem is not about that  
Rather, this poem is about how everyone believes  
The good Lord is coming back one day,  
But no one believes he will come back "this" day    
For us, time is a constant drip  
And no one knows the day nor the hour.  
Yet, we think we all still have time  
Time to live a few more happy years  
Comedic time to deliver another punch line  
Time to grow up, to learn to swim  
Time to experience first love and heartbreak,  
We all act as though this world will last forever  
Even though we know it won’t  
But this poem is not about the end of the world