Another Chapter

The end, unbidden,
for another chapter

sudden, abrupt
unexpected

terms and conditions
destabilizing

losses mounting
gains less so

steady erosion
of social edifice

perhaps the next
less subtraction.

Genealogy Mole

I dig underground
deep, deeper
into labyrinthian time

prospecting, mining
sifting through dated shreds
for ancestral secrets

tunneling blindly
along dead-ended tracks
until one is not

unlocked
a faintly lit chamber
with storied family treasure.

Between the Cracks

Through which crack should I look today
to glimpse the intentions of the universe

where ants live
the chipmunk stores its seeds
woodpeckers hunt for lunch

through invisible cracks

where love meets hate
accidents wait to happen
a fractured soul tries again

or through some quixotic one

at the top of the nearest rainbow
where space and time converge
gravity meets anti-gravity

I peer through all of the above and see
the universe looking back at me
with shaking-head sadness and bitter regret.