there is a simplicity
to the first line of a poem,
the opening notes of a song,
the first time you see each other.
life complicates
all that follows
the way a Kansas tornado
complicates morning chores.
but if you can find your way through
the noise and the displacement
of all you took for granted,
you may still have
a terrible mess to clean up
but you will also have
a true understanding
of what can be lost,
what can be gained,
and how fragile
the simplest,
most lovely
things
are.