We always said we would leave this place
Searching the evening sky for signs
Stars and planets offering silent solidarity
We’d go as far as we could and never look back.

Searching the evening sky for signs
Later, something unseen would slink towards us
We’d go as far as we could and never look back
Like fog rolling silently over the hills.

Later, something unseen would slink towards us
Hungry birds—leave us to our numbness
Like fog rolling silently over the hills
We know these unwelcome guests.

Hungry birds—leave us to our numbness
Fear, violence, grief
We know these unwelcome guests
We know them like family.

Fear, violence, grief
Stars and planets offering silent solidarity
We know them like family
We always said we would leave this place.

Diana Donovan

 

Diana Donovan is a freelance writer and marketing consultant based in Northern California. A graduate of Brown University, she was recently featured in Quiet Lightning, a reading series in San Francisco.

© 2019