The Sky

Know this: the Sky sobs
about the depth of her
redness. She winces
every time someone
declares her bloody
appearance gorgeous.
"I like my blue self
best of all," she insists.
"Don't they realize it's
only the vapors and
fumes and tiny metal
particles that catch poor
Sun and hold tight that
make me look like
the coming of
the Apocalypse?
All I ever wanted was
to be breezy and easy
and blue." The Sun
always tells her to keep
her head held high.
"You and I know I'm
the only red one
around here. But we
both know they've
grown thirstier and
thirstier for blood over
the years. If they enjoy
a bloody sky, why,
I think we should
let 'em have it. They
haven't got much
longer, you know."
Sky complains
she doesn't want to be
remembered all scarlet
and ominous and
terrible. Sun says,
"Look, either we can
come tumbling down
the way they would
have us do or we can
be forgotten altogether."
Horrified, Sky cries,
"Forget us? Forget us?
Never. We mean too
much to them." Sun
answers, "That's what I
used to think. But I've
seen them now stare
The End in the face and
simply shrug their
shoulders. We mean
nothing." Together,
Sky and Sun agree
that maybe they should
duck out for a day or two
just to remind us what
we really have to live for.

(2007)