Is Gone

People want to see the sky
Crane necks for a better view
of the wide open blue

Heavy rains give the world a gray lid
We want to push on it, move it away
gasp for air at the surface of the world

The sun glowering like a bright eye
behind the veil, a cold secret yet to be spoken
A wry smile in the night
that no one sees, no one hears

A man traveling alone along an endless road
his suitcase clutched in grim hands
the clasps rusty and resistant to opening

The hours spent walking behind clouds
after dark, out of sight, out of all belief
like wisdom drifting in the gutter 
on a scrap of paper no one knows
is gone

We are fish and we are dying

---