the second night
my hand grabs for the ladder
i don't understand why its so strong, so lasting
getting rougher, still happening
minute later on my phone
everyone: "again?" "another?"
"worse" i type
we wonder whether it was stronger or closer to us
as the aftershocks continue into the night
i slowly crawl out from under my desk
creep into bed
4 am. am i on a boat?, city siren goes off
7 am. aftershock? or another one?
sleep is impossible. the land shakes there too.
the next night, the third night of all this
when my apartment suddenly shakes, then sways
for the second time that i've been lying down
tears gather in my eyes
i had believed they were stopping
my shoulders are clenched
my back is a fist, my spine inside.
the sensation is fine; the sensation is deal-able
the unpredictability, the suddenness
the abrupt chaos
is what is hard.
it must be very hard
to be an earthquake.
each unexpected screech and shove
shows me
bellows and struts
bellows and struts
what life was like
No comments:
Post a Comment