---

Ohio Oceans

A full moon nears the world's edge;
It's yellowing light,
Sparkles over the warm surface.
Stars fade soundlessly into orange light,
As dawn approaches.
 The sun ascends —
   Blazing light penetrates the shallow sea
    Of coral and clear turquoise blue-green.
   But those eyes did not see it — it died,
 Decending into darkness,
Sinking in the sediment.

Somewhere far away, a rock fell
Into a quiet pool of water;
   No one heard it.
    Circular ripples expanded outward,
    Like tree rings counting time,
   But there were no trees — not yet.
Time changed.
Seconds became millions of years;
Mountains became mud;
Mud became rock.
The ripples grew; life spread.

Then it happened.
   An explosion
                             ripped through
        The Devonian shale.
            Pages of time fell away.
And when the dust settled,
Light was again seen
In the staring eyes
Of a distant relative.

---

Copyright © 1989 by Wataru Ebihara