"Tomorrow in Tonga" by Michael Gillan Maxwell

Tomorrow in Tonga

The illuminated clock winked and went dark

the taut electrical buzz clicked and went silent

is it nuclear war, a polar shift or just a branch on a power line?

In murky dusk I contemplate my pale reflection in the mirror

I put on a blue shirt, red tie and gray slacks

I feed the cat

Across the icy black vacuum of heaven

Cassiopeia and Orion play ring around the rosy

with the moon

In Chicago it's an hour earlier, six hours later in Paris

still yesterday in Samoa

already tomorrow in Tonga

What would you do today if you knew your time was up tomorrow?

Sara Fitzpatrick Comito, Dec 06, 2013

Nice work, Michael!*

Gary Hardaway, Dec 06, 2013

Especially like the use of temporal relativity in this.

Gessy Alvarez, Dec 06, 2013

Musical, jazzy even. Nice.

Gary V. Powell, Dec 06, 2013

I often feel ephemeral. Even more so, now. Really like how you give voice to that feeling.*

Robert Vaughan, Dec 06, 2013

This "simple" poem, like a day's unfolding, is temporal, and possibly deceiving, as any surprise might be. That our existence could be so, well, relative, and we'd wait until "the bitter end" (How's that for cliche?!!) to ponder any possibility of change(s), is so perfectly wrought here.

Henry Standing Bear, Dec 06, 2013

A gem of a poem here, Michael. A question I've occasionally tried to explore in my writing, as well. You do fine with it here.

Christian Bell, Dec 06, 2013

What Robert said. Great poem. *

Carol Reid, Dec 06, 2013

Love the stillness and the mood of this, and especially the "pale reflection". Sometimes I feel just a couple of shades away from disappearing and I like the calm contemplation of that.