Saturday, May 30, 2015

"April Orchard," Franz Wright

We think if we’re not conscious we exist
we won’t exist, but
how can that be? 
Just look at the sun.
Oh, if I could only make myself
completely unafraid—once
born, we never die—
what talks we’d have, and will. It’s theorized
the universe is only one
among others, infinite
others. Though
didn’t Christ tell us, “In my father’s house
there are many rooms . . .”
And I would tell you
what it’s like,
real fear. And
how there are human beings for whom the sun
is never going to shine
Is never going to rise again, ever, not
really—
not the real sun.
They’re not exactly waking up
in radiant awareness
and celebration of their own presence these days,
who’d get rid of themselves with no more thought
(if it were possible) than you would give to
taking off a glove.
How in deep sleep sometimes even we get well.
So you can believe me, in the far deeper
sleep (these new apple leaves, maybe) we are all going
to be perfectly all right.