Stop! Look, look up and lay
down your arms—
the world is not an invading army,
but a land under siege: frantic, panicked, nearly
overrun.
Look up at the tumbling vastness, feel
the cool breath of autumn, hear the caroling of crickets,
smell the pine straw as it rests, and taste your lover’s
kiss.
These small gifts can calm the storm of fright
and fury surging in your heart—
the world is not
a hungry lion prowling, but a beached whale
gasping for ocean.