Petition to the Gods

The world turned upside down

 

Pandemics. Fires. Hurricanes.

Deranged leaders 

      with their incomprehensible legions of supporters. 

 

And to top it off, a note from a child’s teacher:

 

“Please check for lice.”

 

Yet each morning, the sun still rises.

 

 

 

Until yesterday. 

 

The sun blotted out by fire’s smoke the whole day through.

as dark at noon 

          as it was at midnight. 

 

We stood like the bewildered ancients at an eclipse, wondering

        “Is this how it ends?”

                   and petitioning the gods for deliverance. 

 

In that other world, the gods gathered,

                    scratching their heads and exclaiming:

 

                               “What the hell? How do we handle this?!”