Nothing Happened

 

Quite suddenly, nothing happened.

With all the force in the world, nothing happened.

Assured the condition was only temporary,

we were told to return to our houses,

to leave the lights off and get into our beds.

To tremble at powers far beyond our comprehension.

Elsewhere, the shuffling of feet and new brooms sweeping.

Nations prospered or were in a state of disrepair.

Great leaders were found weeping in their kitchens.

You could hear the big made small and vice versa.

When nothing happened the sea stayed its course,

a few rivers returning to their sources,

snow falling where it had never been seen before,

schools shutting early, churches condemned,

streets aswim in malodourous slurry.

 

When nothing happened the intangible was poured out.

The invisible travelled to every world but this world.

Drones and workers busied themselves with pointless chores,

tasks done for their own sake and that were soon undone,

accomplishment a fine thing, necessity triumphant.

 

Still, nothing happened, unexpectedly violent and shrill.

Earth shook and the sea shimmered, at one with itself.

Season followed season, wishfully so, nature adrift

in a strong tide, nature our master, our reluctant servant.

The world turned towards the sun and the moon was quartered.

Bells could be heard across every land,

both aural celebration and tolls of warning.

We were lulled and warm and quite secure.
But then something happened…

 

Bruce McRae, a Canadian musician, is a Pushcart nominee with over a thousand poems published internationally in magazines such as Poetry, Rattle and the North American Review. His latest book out now, ‘An Unbecoming Fit Of Frenzy’ is available on Amazon and through Cawing Crow Press, while in July of this year, another book of poems,  ‘Like As If’, will be published by Pskis Porch. His poems on video can be viewed on YouTube’s ‘BruceMcRaePoetry’