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| The Pillars of Creation, an active star-forming region within the Eagle Nebula. (2017 NASA image from the Hubble Telescope) |
The wind rises,
searching the night
for something to engage,
drops down against the beetled ashes
falling over power lines
that cross these wooded hills.
The house shuts down.
The lights go off. The fire goes out.
No fans, no motors, no glowing screens.
Just the coin that arcs behind etched glass,
the heirloom mantel clock,
the swing of time that's calmed
five generations.
That's how quiet the house becomes.
The earth floats on without a sound,
but on this hill,
a beating heart,
one beating heart,
as yet another year comes 'round.
—with three lines by Joy Williams
