Nothing Is

Under a bare sky,

Roof still at your back,

You wonder how soon

Someone will tell you,

Nothing’s as it seems.

That’s all. All you need—

Mild autumnal sun

And a gentle voice

Sunlit in your head,

Nothing’s as it seems.

Leaves of desert ash

Tilt, turn, and flutter

Against a backdrop

Of murmuring song,

Nothing’s as it seems.

It’s almost as if

The day is trying

To tell you something,

Hey? Funny cosmos.

Nothing’s as it seems.

It is, actually.

It is, exactly,

As it seems—nothing

That is. No fooling,

No tricks. As it seems.