The Promise of Another Dawn – Jack A. Underhill

"Until I can no longer see,
But continue to believe
In the sun's promise to return:
And it will this morning. And  tomorrow.
And the day after tomorrow,
Building the spiral called eternity
Out of each sun, the dance of
Butterflies evoking the emerging."
                Joy Harjo, Poet Laureate
 
Over two million Americans with the virus.
More than 130,000 dead and more dying.
Confined to our homes
Like domesticated cats and rabbits.
 
Millions unemployed and many hungry.
Burdened with masks not for Halloween.
 
The microwave broke.
My sister, buddy for 88 years
Passed into the great beyond.
 
In another tense time
I heard the sirens of the night
During the Cuban Missile Crisis.
 
I prayed for the end of
The Vietnam war
And its senseless destruction.
 
I saw fear in young men's eyes
As an unknown malady
Raged the gay community
 
Yet, in spite of it all,
There will be another dawn
As if the sun were born anew.
 
We survive
And move on.
Never giving up.
 
There is always another dawn.

Copyright 2020 Jack Underfhill

Bio:

Jack Underhill has been a member of the Poetry workshop at the Osher Life Long Learning institute for over 20 years, a long-term member and former officer in the Poet’s Society of Virginia, and a long-time contributor to Poet’s Domain.

Donation Appeal:

Throughout June and July, we will be presenting on this web site work by poets and artists responding to the COVID-19 pandemic. We hope you will find these works relevant, comforting and inspiring as we all cope with the economic and health-related fallout.

As you view the work on this site each day, we would like to encourage you to donate to the Arlington Food Assistance Center (AFAC). Their mission “ is to feed our neighbors in need by providing dignified access to supplemental groceries. AFAC is seeing a record number of families due to the COVID-19 pandemic as families who never thought they would ever be in need are now showing up at our doors for much needed food.”  And, in keeping with our hunger-focused efforts, you may also want to visit the Poetry X Hunger website where poems by many poets are posted and are being used by anti-hunger organizations.”

Throughout June and July, we will be presenting on this web site work by poets and artists responding to the COVID-19 pandemic. We hope you will find these works relevant, comforting and inspiring as we all cope with the economic and health-related fallout.

Please consider donating to AFAC. If you do, let us know which poet or artist inspired you so we can send you a personal thank you.

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