Rainbow The unknown is known and then becomes forgotten. I've seen only so many rainbows, only so many rainbows have ever been, and this one fading now will soon also be forgotten. I will forget my mother's face one day. I could take a picture— I took a few of her in our time— forget that I took it but maybe find it later, part of the electro-digit, silicon world in my pocket, or never see its pixelated trace again. Nothing was ordained or any more solid than itself about this rainbow moments or lifetimes ago, about me being here to see it as it blooms and fades, about me being here at all. All rainbows seen and unseen are certain, in a certain way, for having been, though gone, forgotten or unknown. Rainbows yet to be are premonitions, their phantom flash in future time and space no more certain than the sun and the rain. So town-cry the rainbow alert! Let none in the geography of its light miss out: this brilliant ghost of colors dispersed, collisions of stuff and star in motion, essence of the sun stretched and separated from itself by the earth, absorbed and changed, reemitted by droplets of coherent O and H blasted like pollen from some long-dead star, now held by and effusing static charge, merest parts of this squall that mounts the hills, themselves the pot of gold. So ring the rainbow bell! Awake the sleeping masses! It's happening again today! Here and now as elsewhere then and everywhere in time, but we are here and this is now and we could miss it. This particular array of wavelengths could fall on the eyes of other animals who will not stand in awe at its passing who will not think of moments past and smile who do not know of miracles or aesthetics who do not have a vision of some eternal power of creation within which to enshrine this common chance formation of sunlight. Oh that there could be arrows of lightning and horns of thunder around and through this rainbow as it shines to match the bolts of joy within my mind and elevate this time above the rest ensuring it will always be remembered. But then, where was it first I saw my mother, heard her singing voice, felt her touch, was nourished by her body, first knew her to be who she was to me? Even things we know to be are at the last uncertain as the most solid things are made of space we ever on contrive to fill.

Rainbow

The unknown is known

and then becomes forgotten.

I've seen only so many rainbows,

only so many rainbows

have ever been,

and this one fading now

will soon also be forgotten.

I will forget my mother's face one day.

I could take a picture—

I took a few of her in our time—

forget that I took it but maybe find it later,

part of the electro-digit, silicon

world in my pocket,

or never see its pixelated trace again.

Nothing was ordained or any more solid than itself

about this rainbow moments or lifetimes ago,

about me being here to see it as it blooms and fades,

about me being here at all.

All rainbows seen and unseen

are certain, in a certain way, for having been,

though gone, forgotten or unknown.

Rainbows yet to be are premonitions,

their phantom flash in future time and space

no more certain than the sun and the rain.

So town-cry the rainbow alert!

Let none in the geography of its light miss out:

this brilliant ghost of colors dispersed,

collisions of stuff and star in motion,

essence of the sun

stretched and separated from itself by the earth,

absorbed and changed, reemitted

by droplets of coherent O and H

blasted like pollen from some long-dead star,

now held by and effusing static charge,

merest parts of this squall that mounts the hills,

themselves the pot of gold.

So ring the rainbow bell!

Awake the sleeping masses!

It's happening again today!

Here and now as elsewhere then and everywhere in time,

but we are here and this is now and we could miss it.

This particular array of wavelengths

could fall on the eyes of other animals

who will not stand in awe at its passing

who will not think of moments past and smile

who do not know of miracles or aesthetics

who do not have a vision of some eternal

power of creation within which to enshrine

this common chance formation of sunlight.

Oh that there could be arrows

of lightning and horns of thunder

around and through this rainbow as it shines

to match the bolts of joy within my mind

and elevate this time above the rest

ensuring it will always be remembered.

But then, where was it

first I saw my mother,

heard her singing voice,

felt her touch,

was nourished by her body,

first knew her to be who she was to me?

Even things we know to be

are at the last uncertain

as the most solid things are made

of space we ever on contrive to fill.