between the welkin and the well


Between the welkin and the well,

a thousand points of radiance:

Avalokiteśvara's hands

reaching out to America.

Under a volcano's shadow,

before a trembling ocean,

luxurious detonations

herald the spirit of mercy.

Each bomb-blast is an open hand

in the mudra of compassion;

their fingers smell like burning boats

and fennel, and fresh cut daisies.

Embers coruscate to the Earth

calling on it to bear witness:

red is for blood, blue is for blood,

white is for the whites of their eyes.

Clouds of smoky white dissipate,

revealing ordinary stars:

fractured across the endless sky,

Pandora's hope in dazzling dots.