“Term” by W.S. Merwin

When all has been said
the road will be closed

when the old man has told
of walking as a child
on the road that the chief 
built long ago

and has told of his father
walking with him
and his grandfather
when the road seemed to have been
there always along the sea
and has told of everyone he knew
and all his ancestors
coming that way
it will be closed

when the children have begged
to be able to go
to the sea there as they do
without having to be
rich or foreign
the road will be closed
for the rich and foreign
and the children will wait on them
where the road is now

where the thorny
kiawe trees smelling
of honey
dance in their shadows along the sand
the road will die
and turn into money at last
as the developers
themselves hope to do

what is sacred about a road anyway
what is sacred about any place
what is sacred about a language
what is sacred

what will we need to love
when it is all money
the rich will be rich
the foreign will be foreign
on the closed road

they are on their way already
their feet are the feet of ghosts
watching them is like watching a ship
leaving the shore
and seeing that it will never arrive