What I hear

Barn swallows
High in the rafters
Of a leaning
Prairie castle.

Puffs of promise
In budding grain
Bending to the will
Of Illinois winds.

A mournful wail
From the Burlington
Laden with coal
Northbound to Chicago.

Clattering cans
And the stuttering horn
Of a limo
Outside a wedding chapel.

Rain steadily splash
Into widening pools
Weeping sorrowfully
Into darkening fields.

Lovers whisper
Promising forever
In exchange
For a moment’s bliss.

My own heart beating
Knee bone crackling
As I move inexorably
Toward the grave.

Sweet life passing
In shouts and sighs
And muttered prayers
Of sinner and saint.

Auditory history
Accoustic life
Sweeping beyond
The moment’s horizon.

I hear all this.