I Woke Up Poem by Ronnie Heaven

I woke up
To birds chirping
Wind chimes tinkling
Dogs barking
Everything's fine

But not in my dream
In my dream
There was a scorched earth
Mushroom cloud
Steeling for fallout

It wasn't real
But still I can scarcely breathe
The world turns, unconcerned
Even though I have seen it's destroyer
Phantom-like

In my dream
As I closed the windows and secured the house
She asked what the point was
She was prepared for immolation
"It's no use. They're screaming", she said, pointing outside
"They scream because they're afraid, not because they're dying" I reply
"There's still time"

Check my phone
Oddly, I can plot the course of the encroaching fallout
Watch it digitally as it physically rushes headlong towards us
And for the first time I truly understand how weak we are
How helpless

I hold her hand
She has no hope left
But she mimics my movements robotically
I try to tell her that all is not lost
Yet I'm not sure if I believe it myself

And then I woke up