Atlantis

A continent of cloud begins to break 
Apart above me. Sky comes rushing in 
To form an ocean. Ragged islands swim 
Away alone, or separate and make 
Up archipelagos. A tremor shakes
The wind chimes, or perhaps it’s just the wind
Bearing the cataclysm on its wings.
The gloom disintegrates, and in its wake 
Warm sunlight floods the garden. Children’s shouts 
Drift faintly from the grammar school nearby. 
A drop of autumn foliage trickles down. 
The youngest will forget it by the time 
The bell rings. Even I will have my doubts
Tomorrow, that so many people drowned. 
                                          

— November 2020