The deluge

I lied awake all night,

listened to it rain,

fell asleep again and again

and dreamed unfitfully.

____

I dreamed all the mourning mothers

of all the wars ever fought

gathered in the next world

and held a wake filled with songs of grief.

The walls of heaven’s mansions shook and fell to dust.

They took a vow of celibacy and poverty

and agreed they’d remain homeless

until they all had homes

and they’d all go hungry

until they all had food

and they’d never again bare children

until all the warring stopped

and they cried

until celestial rivers overflowed

and the clouds below

filled with tears

____

I put on coffee,

took my rain gear from its hook,

went for a walk in the park,

counted the name of God upon my knuckles

and prayed for mothers whose children have

and mothers whose children will die in war.

10-12-23