April 2020 Haiku

I.
Surprised by spring's joy
The buds unfold in new light
Sleep gives way to life

II.
Read spring's wisdom here
Late or cold, the shoots come up
Pushing life through loam

III.
The season of death
Surprises us by ending
We are April's fools

The Locusts Progress

As the locusts progress,

The tsunami takes in its fatal breath,

The first rumours of the quake surface

And air raid sirens pierce silent skies

We say they will not destroy our fields.

It will not drown my streets.

It will not shake my house.

It will not strike me

or my neighbour.

But when the locusts do not stop,

The wave does not halt upon our shores,

The shaking starts without hint of conclusion

And missiles fall as rain

              On the just and the unjust

We learn what it takes to know each other

Friend or foe, sister or brother;

We are all neighbours here

As the locusts progress.

             

What sickness must we endure?

What violence of nature or man?

What calamity must befall

To finally know that,

When it is all over,

We will all be there

Side by side

 Picking fallen seeds

From ravaged fields.