goodnight

the world is on fire―
kindled lava spilling over the edge.
the amber flecks
and onyx dust of
last year glimmer faint.

i yearn to watch sunsets fall along the burnt, charcoal
horizons.
but tonight,
today,
the vast sky remains void.

where once rose a pale moon of starless wonder,
there is only fire.

crimson embers and ashen comets
stroke the atmosphere.

the end is near.

dark waters swirl beneath me:
extinguishing their threats,
soothing the bloodshot battle wounds―
unable to reverse the crackling wreckage.

it will one day be cleansed...
perhaps even renewed.

past and present converge
upon the ocean's jagged boulders,
smashing into its familiar caress
of moonless waves.

i want to believe i am the captain.
but i am not even the first mate,
nor the sailing master,
gunner,
boatswain,
or pilot.

i am not in control of this ship,
i am not second-in-command,
i cannot navigate,
distribute damage,
keep the pirates afloat,
or steer the world from destruction.

for only one can chart the sky
of moonblips and erratic fire.

my mind cannot fathom the stars.
but does that make me tethered,
or release me from an iron anchor?

farewell clings to the explosive universe:
constellations composed of sparks,
comets of carbon and hydrogen,
asteroids flung from earth's volcanic mounds.

i must follow―
for no one tonight must stay.

a new world is upon us,
a new era awaits.

but now i stand on a crumbling deck:
gazing out across the tumultuous sea
robed in uncertainty.

and i breathe out the air of a life i no longer have.

cracked lips part,
revealing a sign of both
a tragic nightmare
and frantic hope.

goodnight.