Vox Populi
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Michael Simms: The Ruins
Imagine the tall blue heron wading at the edge rings of water extending from her impossibly thin legs the air full of transparent wings the fox crossing the innocent road full of weeds Picture the ruins of the house where coyotes now raise their young and bears have returned to search for honey Think of mice carving nests in the books of the library and otters sliding down the banks of the river behind the crumbling Exxon bees nesting in the eaves of the mayor’s old mansion and termites chewing through the pile of newspapers in the attic No one misses us not even the dog who loved us who lived for our praise and now chases a rabbit barely remembering the hands that touched her
From Nightjar. Michael Simms is the founding editor of Vox Populi. His most recent collections of poetry are American Ash and Nightjar (Ragged Sky, 2020), as well as a novel Bicycles of the Gods: A Divine Comedy.
Copyright 2023 Michael Simms
Vox Populi 
“No one misses us.”
How ungovernably sad. And yet, life loves life, and goes on without us, profuse and celebratory.
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Thanks, Dinah. I often wonder whether humans’ time of dominance is coming to an end.
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It will end (and it should) – unless we stop pulling the wings off flies for fun, and learn humility.
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very very evocative michael… on 1st reading i misread a phrase which actually helped me to go back and imagine what was being evoked! this was how i misread the phrase: “bees nesting in the eaves
of the martyr’s old mansion”!
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How interesting, Margo! Thank you.
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Nice. Michael. Reminds me of the infinitesimal spec of time we’ve been dominant on this little planet, and how quickly that can all change without even the intervention of an asteroid.
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Thanks, Matthew. Yes, our species’ brief dominance of the planet is coming to an end. Climate change, pandemics, war, unstable governments and population growth are combining to change the natural balance that has sustained us.
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Good morning Michael, thank you for sharing yet another fine poem. Verbal images of a tale you tell so wonderfully. Thank you for taking me along. peace
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Peace, my friend.
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I love that call to “Imagine” as the first line–because I then move through the poem’s images like a tiny bee, filled with delight❤️
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Thank you, Lisa. What a lovely thing to say!
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As best as I recall, that heron has haunted you for decades. A wonderful poem. The apparent simplicity of the poem gives it such a haunting quality, like the dog chasing the rabbit.
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John: Thank you for remembering the heron, my totemic animall, my vita spiritus.
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A very provocative poem, Michael. Interesting idea and the detail is wonderful!
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Thank you, Deborah!
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I remember so loving that poem when I read it in Nightjar — wondering how you came to write it. I’m a sucker for imagery and imagination and this poem sure fed my hunger for both.
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Thank you, Laure-Anne! Your work has meant so much to me. Your praise is like honey.
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Nice.
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Thanks, Maryfrances.
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Wonderfully evocative!
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Thank you, Robbi. The poem came from hearing a man on an environmental panel say that the world will certainly be better off without us. So I tried to imagine what my neighborhood would look like in a few years if people suddenly disappeared.
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There was a documentary on PBS once about that very subject. It is one I think would interest you.
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Bella
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Excellent.
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Thanks, Edison!
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