heaven on earth
don’t let current events get you down
the world has always been this violent
most of the time we pretend to be safe
in our homes behind locked doors
in the summer windows wide open
curtains waltzing freely
and in the winter
we keep them shut
feline asleep on the narrow sill
basking in the sun
out of control wildfires
fueled by straight line winds
and hundreds of dream homes
alter the landscape and complicate
the notion of heaven on earth
january two thousand twenty-two
copyright j matthew waters
all rights reserved
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