meanwhile

Meanwhile the window shows a wider world

Meanwhile mothers push prams and

the postman presses mail into hands.

Meanwhile soft animal bodies meet

in the weeds and in the wilds, making mating calls

harsh music carried by the clear air.

Meanwhile grandchildren grant sticky kisses

to the soft cheeks of family, gabbling their news

into patient ears. Meanwhile nurses hold hands

whose pulses are slowing, shoots push through the earth,

Time ticks over towns and cities and houses,

And meanwhile the stars, untroubled, gleam on.