Before and After

When morning breaks.

Before the yodeling fills the hills.

After the bars have closed and dreams completed.

Before the coffee and before the sausage hits the buttered pan.

After the prolonged goodbyes and the windy road. And after the nighttime laughter.

Before the morning songs of birds. And before the sunbeam breaks the peak of the bluff.

After the long day. And before the ship sinks.

Before the black sage on the dash hits my nose.

Before the first cars of sunrise.

After the mountain cracks let loose. And before the clouds cover the horizon.

Before the cigarette smokes. And after the ocean sleeps.