"Sleep now,"
A mother says to a child
So far removed from joy.
Any day now things might be different
Any day now things might uplift.
Any, any.... Any day now!
Sleep now, we tell ourselves at night
Willing insomnia to take long flight
How could one so beautiful sleep
And have us go to such a short death?
With an instant, with a breath
With a moment
Any day now.
The sky is overcast with shadow
The clouds of the autumn come in
With the brilliance of a breaking sky
That seems as though it is the angels' cry.
Where does this wailing come from?
Why does it persist?
In a moment, any day now
Your life could be the one that's missed.