March 11, 2011

After the third earthquake (2005)

After the third earthquake
I began to devise my own tremors
Cautious nerves alert
to pseudo seismic sensations
I fathomed near-death possibilities
via waves in a coffee pot.
Mistrustful of any stirring
You can be too in tune
with your house’s vibrato
Too inclined to begrudge men
who drill holes in the street for their living
For fear of what they might disturb
I could not take a step in case
of rattling plates threatening
killer tsunamic swampings
After the third earthquake
those beats pounding in my ears
made the room shake.