Plaintive Challenge

for every plaintive cry
bring them back
all back

from every distant shore
beyond each horizon
far beyond

falls each dear one
in their time
now not

form does not hold
nor any purpose
under heaven

finality all too final
rests heart-weary
fear realized

fate and also fortune
abide even so
implacable persistence

thunderstorm ozone still comes
amid floods ruin
little enough

a whiff of bright
flashes through memory
before before

joints immobilized creak open
breath draws deeper
eyes dry

minus hope’s tenuous thread
emptiness turns appetite
life’s surprise

Einstein’s elevator door opens
beyond horizon’s threshold
another floor

another time and space
crooking a finger
come yes

no grand promise here
gravity still holds
next steps

only one more challenge
bring it on
& on