THE EDGE OF TIME

THE EDGE OF TIME
Louise Annarino
April 18,2020


No one knows what day it is
anymore.
Time drifts past exit ramps
and leads us
into the unknown,
while fearsome animals lurk
on city streets
left vacant too long.
Just long enough
to remind us of a long distant past
when the sun shone
clear and unencumbered
by exhaust fumes
and coal ash.
Exhausted by its weight
time pushes us down
where we can no longer damage
the very air 
so many now struggle to breathe.
Breathe! Breathe!
Breathe this clean air!
Unembraceable by another soul
embrace the air and water and soil
as if it were your mother.
Remember her for she has 
not forgotten you.
At the edge of time
we discover
our family is much larger 
than we remember.
When we pull back from the edge
will we forget?