Loose on Earth
A tiny spark, or
the slow-moving glow on the fuse
creeping toward where
ergs held close
in petrol, saltpeter, mine gas,
buzzing minerals in the ground,
are waiting.
Held tight in a few hard words
in a dark mood,
in an old shame.
Humanity,
……….. said Jeffers, is like quick
explosion on the planet
we’re loose on earth
half a million years
our weird blast spreading—
and after,
rubble—millennia to weather,
soften, fragment,
sprout, and green again.
by Gary Snyder
from Danger on Peaks
Shoemaker Hoard, 2004
Enjoying the content on 3QD? Help keep us going by donating now.