Michael Singh

A Sun Setting as it Rises

I was cradled by earthquakes.

Nursed by the arms
of California,
she put me to rest
on terrain
shaking with
life:

each bloody pulse
fueled a heart
birthing from
poppies in
an unabashed
full bloom,
blush fading
with the rise
of the moon.

Her soil shifts
beneath us
constantly,
tiny shivers
pulsate a
lone heartbeat
wailing its
pale affections
throughout every
pore contained
in the decaying
cracks of concrete
(here we dance
on the edge
of our collapse
knowing the ground
bellows a
warning song
as it vibrates
beneath us).

Our toes are worn
from the steps
as we try to
remember
our moves
try to forget
we were cradled
by earthquakes,
four walls
oscillating
within each box
protecting uneasy
feet gliding
us towards
the horizon;

A sun setting as it rises.

Michael V. Singh is a recent graduate in Theatre from the University of California, Riverside. During his undergraduate studies Michael was involved in numerous productions, the most recent being poet Juan Felipe Herrera’s play  Stars of Juarez where he served as both a stage manager and (later) as an actor. He has previously been published in Literary Laundry.