The Shift

We need to stay calm and 
keep each other awake
and safe from harm as we wait 
for help from beyond the stars

Northern Lights spread and dance
a silky curtain of fire across the sky
shocking southern watchers
as we stand in the hot rain 

Nerves still tingling from the changes
when planets crossed 
and the moon crashed on China
we know our world is forever changed

Tumbled from our beds and our houses
we touch the ones we love in relief
and hold them with particular closeness
as we ride the rising of the land together

As time floats elsewhere
we rest scattered on the ground
patiently holding to our personal hopes
with a strange sense of peace

To-night will be the longest 
challenging our every belief and desire
After the dark clouds of this night 
the morning sun will seem like a reward

c. 2/28/09, B. Riley