Second Coming

I suppress a smile
when the pre-teens pass

with their pegged pants
and perfectly parted hair—

a reincarnation of my youth.
They think themselves unique,

trend-setters turning history’s
trajectory. If they had stopped

to ask for directions
I would have explained

that everything’s already happened
all witnessed before the first before—

the whorl of every fingerprint
the shape of every snowflake

the beat of every human heart.
The only new thing

is its newness to you, I’d say. Yet,
watching them walk past

even this old news feels fresh
like the smell of grass

after a summer rain
like a lover’s kiss

at the end of a long day.

Published by asaur