We Come Full Circle

We come full circle like a sun Peeling workers back, sucking the core Raw, emptying it of sweat and everything Leaving flaccid evening To be pounded by the relentless sea. My life began here One room and mother going and coming Between despair and praise Because she never hoped for anything A soul that is satisfied has no hope Except where the mound is raised The great flag of dirt and final pride And who we sleep beside The sobering ultimatum that is not choice The calculation that sums mortality. We do not last as long the sun Whose cruelty is equal to its kindness, But one day it too shall have a great fever, Swell, and explode.