So You Said It Again

Sunset lit the clouds above the cliff
But the dog playing fetch and the cats
In the cactus, sniffing for rodents,

Didn’t notice this. Meanwhile, you missed
Whatever it was about the world
Around you that you missed, which strained thought

So much that you kept repeating it,
That the world was rich with what you missed,
Getting no closer to noticing

Whatever it really was you missed.
A subtle shift in the direction
Of history, hidden in the wars

That were so obvious? An omen
Of something even more dire than wars?
Some reason to be an optimist?

The dog had returned to its owner.
The cats had given up their hunting.
You knew there was something that you’d missed.