Moment of Impact
A News Response Poem
Moment of Impact Is the name for when Two comets collide The space between time suspended First there is a streak Of Movement Flash of a brilliant light Can a sound in space be heard Is silence a sound Do stars feel Sorrow or wonder In the darkness Is the night empty or full I hear a baby crying Across the cafe where I am attempting to work But I cannot focus My hand shakes The beating Of my heart is loud in my ears My vision is blurry The baby Has not seen comets Does not yet know How beautiful they are She only knows The warmth of her mother Her touch in this specific moment I close my eyes And listen Do stars hear prayers Do they feel them Like the baby feels her mother’s love She is calling out Calling out She is silent now The image replays in my mind So vividly It is as if I had been there with you Author’s Note: I wrote this poem in response to several moments of impact that occurred this week and over the last few months, including the American Eagle flight that crashed into the Potomac and several tragic deaths.
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So lovely and heartbreaking. Too many of those moments this week as we try to navigate the space in between, and moments after.