The Earth Heals at Night

The earth heals at night
like a wounded animal scratching out its den.

The earth heals at night
if the night were a stretch of time, eons of time
and we were a splutter in a lifetime of breath.

The earth heals at night
as nights are as long as an age of stars
and we are the stars looking back on ourselves.

The earth heals at night
while it dozes and dreams of smelting
volcanic gold and life benign.

The earth heals at night
unfurls its fingers and plucks at high branches
of trees that bow and groan.

The earth heals at night
as it writhes and shifts and stretches
to ease its shoulders from the weight of man.