Seconds Before the Thunderclap Came

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Seconds before the thunderclap came

In every 

Single

Unit


The summit of the day had been reached 

And with it came

The assurance of immortality

Which arrives 

When danger is as far away 

as the faraway moon

Which at that very moment

was watching over each and every one of them 

In every

Single

Unit

Like the nightlight

Of the nursery

Where mom and dad

Once upon a time 

held vigil in the shadows 

counted baby breaths for inventory

and exported dreams 

To ensure everlasting love and most of

All a very, very long life.


Outside was the 

after-hours 

Clocked-out ocean

Which was something to boast about

And take every angle pictures of

From your balcony

When it was awake

To send to friends and relatives

Who would envy you

And everything about your life


For at least one more minute.


There were no lifeboats for

The beloved of 

every

Single

unit at Surfside, Florida.

fragile grandparents

Tender-hearted parents

shiny children

dependable God-sent nannies

twentysomething lovers on the grown-up island of a king size bed

The Orthodox Jews

And the South American tourists.


All that was there was tomorrow.


And so 

As TVs chanted like wall-mounted monks

And singers sang in the key of bluetooth

they all went about the silent rituals.


They polished their teeth

took their pills

stroked their hair with longing and hope

And slipped into the confidence of nudity and nightwear.


And at the exact same moment


Someone arrived at an off-duty refrigerator 

As someone else

suddenly sat up quickly on the edge of the bed

when they saw 

the image of the one that they loved the most

fly away like an untethered astronaut


And in perfect synchronicity, 

they both reached out for ice cream and

Heartache.


And that is when the thunderclap came.


And they were gone.

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