Megan Moriarty

At the Moment

The climate sends warnings each year:
heavy rain floods subway platforms,
heat waves thicken the air, wildfire smoke
paints the sky a shade of burnt peaches.
For me, though, most mornings
still arrive in routine increments.
Sugared coffee, oats for breakfast,
and plans to walk the dog early
because that’s what she loves most.
There’s a tropical storm out at sea
that might become a hurricane,
but at the moment trains
are running without delays
and I should return some books
to the library this afternoon.
My mind constantly searches
for familiar ground,
like a migratory bird blown off course.
It’s August and the sun is echoing
across this fraction of the sky.
Tufted clouds perch overhead
and some insects I can’t identify
are whirring like small idling engines.
The sound is so gentle and steady
that I stop listening after a while
and don’t notice when it ends.

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Megan Moriarty is the author of the chapbook From the Dictionary of Living Things (Finishing Line Press). Her poems have appeared in Best New Poets, Indiana Review, Split Rock Review and elsewhere. She studied poetry at Virginia Tech and currently lives in Brooklyn.