Remorse of an Asteroid

  • Age of Dinosaurs, 1986, mural in Jurassic Hall at New Mexico Museum of Natural History & Science. Courtesy of New Mexico Department of Cultural Affairs.
    Age of Dinosaurs, 1986, mural in Jurassic Hall at New Mexico Museum of Natural History & Science. Courtesy of New Mexico Department of Cultural Affairs.

    I blink my eyes, came waves of fiery red, Rushing from my chest, my heart’s torn apart. Dragged to the vastness, broke the heavenly thread, Warrior of the sky, a fallen braveheart.

    Loudness skips a note, silence has disguised, Beasts of the land, running to wail instead. End of an era, death romanticized, Penance misspelled, ashes of a warhead.

    Horrendous moods, geological times, Sequestered sorrow for a soul in strife.

    A furious star regrets, too late sometimes, Nothing, just condolences to wildlife. More than skin deep lies a star’s lost essence, Fallen to earth, crimson pangs of conscience.

    Eleanor (Ely) Kish (1924–2014)