Seeing No Tomorrow, by Mary McCarthy

Moses Sees the Promised Land Before His Death, by Lesser Ury (b. Prussia), 1928.

Seeing No Tomorrow

Dead wood hard and brittle
that won’t take fire
veins choked with dust
heartwood black
as the space between
the stars
strange as dark matter
a grief invisible
and wordless
so deep the world moves back
forever out of reach
no welcome for you
in that perfect light
no absolution-
you are the opposite
of possibility
a stopped watch
a dead end
a mouth without a tongue
a bridge that ends
abrupt
in empty air

Mary McCarthy

This poem was written as part of the 20 Poem Challenge.

Mary McCarthy has always been a writer, but spent most of her working life as a Registered Nurse. Her work has appeared in many online and print journals, including Earth's Daughters, Gnarled Oak, Third Wednesday and Three Elements Review. She is grateful for the wonderful online communities of writers and poets sharing their work and passion for writing, providing a rich world of inspiration, appreciation, and delight.