The Sound of People

the city is a river every dinner

divulges into dance into fire

circles when to keep the night

alive you need only scrounge

the ground for sticks and stories

man who wanted death

if he could overcome the fear

of doing it without a hand in his

to watch the fire

disappear in water

spring his ash gives life to poppies

planted when a friend did live here

years ago I saw the petals

and heard the drum of laughter—

take my trash i’ll weed your garden—

or the daughter taught to scream outside

it is not fear or anger

simply being two years old

and needing deeply to be heard