I hear liquor and lather
and wood. I press my ear
to the bottom, and I hear
the steel, the concrete,
the inked earth below.
I attend to the slam
of the shadows of trees
and the ivy’s hum. I hear
ambulances and insects,
elements and orchards
beyond. I listen for
the bones, but I only
hear the tide crawling
higher over the shores.
– from A Penance