THE DAY AFTER

The Rapture didn’t happen after all.
Its long-awaited date’s now come and gone,
And nothing happened that might so appall
The world as that—and here again comes dawn.

Oblivious birds are summoning the sun;
Their varied songs and chitters fill the air
Pronouncing there’s been no Oblivion—
Let sleeping life come forth from nest and lair,
Enraptured by vitality, not death.

In time perhaps the vital spark will fade
On Earth, with air no longer fit for breath,
But our experience has now displayed
The Universe makes life and consciousness,
A feat transcending merely Earth’s success.

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