A man of middle-age
stood before the oracle
high on a mountain side.
She asked the man
what he wanted.
He indicated that his life
had been meaningless
and had had no impact.
She said, “Good bye.”
Startled, the man
weakly lifted his right hand
and waved. The tip of his
middle finger glanced
against
a loose pebble.
It fell from its
precarious perch.
It rolled down
dislodging larger rocks
which caused boulders to
careen into a stream.
The stream grew in
intensity and water
rushed down a gorge
joining
other tributaries
into the river.
The torrent roared
into the sea,
underwater currents
reverberated, sea
creatures rose and
descended with the
swirling water and
wind, waves rose
higher and higher
and crashed louder
and louder,
clouds formed, rain
came, winds blew,
snow fell,
precipitation covered
the parched land,
aqua ducts filled,
vegetation grew,
animals flourished,
air rose, birds flew
and as the man’s
hand fell to
his side,
a butterfly blown in
on a zephyr wind
descended on his
left shoulder.