Deserted Bones

Haley Carlisle

When time has taken flight,

bleached bones and cracked earth blend.

Our narrative, we cannot rewrite.

Cadaverous vultures alight

on fractures we cannot mend.

When time has taken flight

the earth will dawdle, swaying us to its delight.

Down mountains and over plains we wend.

Our narrative, we cannot rewrite.

The bitter sting of hail takes a bite

of the hope on which we all depend,

when time has taken flight.

Here where plants are consumed by fire or blight,

the maturation of our thoughts can never be penned.

Our narrative, we cannot rewrite.

The tally of our fortunes will fade into the night.

Reduced to ash, we will ascend

when time has taken flight.

Our narrative, we cannot rewrite.