Burying the Lead

The headlines said Look up! Look up!
The sky – or parts of it – could fall
and you’ll only be safe
if you keep looking up.

So we looked up in panic.
And every time we thought
about how our neck hurt
or that maybe we should check
on the kids or the flowers
or the old lady next door,
the sirens would wail
Look up! Look up!

We kept our eyes trained
on the sky so long
that our bodies got comfortable
looking up.
And they told us how much safer
the world was
because we listened.

One day, the people
who wanted flowers
and a life for their children
and to look after the old people
stopped
looking
up.

They raised their voices
in desperate cries
to warn the world
waken the world
save the world.

But we were too busy looking up
too busy being safe
to hear them tell us
about the monsters.

For their brave stance
they were corralled
shackled
tenderized and seasoned.
And they still tried to warn us
we were surrounded.

When we finally look down,
look back,
we will regret
that we were not blessed
to be the first
to be consumed.

-          R. R. Kovar 9/26/11