THE MOMENT AFTER

After I jumped

I saw how beautiful was the day

how clean the air

and clear the sky.

I smelled something sweet on the wind

� maybe flowers, maybe donuts.

I heard blessed morning noises:

seagulls and bus-horns

and jogging feet slapping down hard

preparing bodies for new motions.

I felt the renewal of the spirit

understood the soul of reincarnation

realized the birth of a new moment.

How different I would be

if I'd noticed all this

a moment before, I thought

a moment after I jumped.