Twilight of the Gods

 

Last night we sat out

On the porch

The heat of day upon us

A little lessened

One cat on the rail

(screens on the other side)

One cat stretched out upon the

Teak dining table,

The center of a set purchased after

A fire burned half of the house

A year and more ago

 

We watched lightning in the distance

I tried to count the miles

But didn’t hear anything

The storm must have been far away

The lightning cracked again in silence

Split that part of night

So far away

 

I had been reading of the death of Baldur

And now could wonder if he might

Be falling through the sky to Earth

Where we could mourn him, too

With all the gods and, yes, the giants

All the seasons of the year

All trees and even metals

Other elements, so says the storyteller

 

But Baldur went to Hel and hell

As the Norse configure these

My version cannot last

Though it made me sad enough

To wish more beauty, even slain

To Earth

 

C L Couch

 

 

Photo by Marc Clinton Labiano on Unsplash