YEAR 2025 Poem: As It Was Before, by Emily Pacenti

There are still squirrels in the park today
The sun still rose and the birds still sang
The leaves are falling and the train is running late
Everything is different
Everything is the same

The air is fresh between wildfires
The morning sky is pink and gray
The wan smile of a stranger passing by
Everything is different
Everything is the same

Red autumn leaves blanket dead rotting lawns
Obscuring worms and spiders
If I can’t see them, are they there?
If I don’t feel them, are they real?

There are still squirrels in the park today
The sun still rose and the birds still sang
Nothing has changed but everything has
Everything is different
Everything is the same

Author: poetryfest

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