I stuck my face through
the hole and knew
without hearing
that I was the victor.
Ovals of applause, mouths
wide with acclaim,
blessed my one good eye,
tempered the bronze
in my ears, its soft thrum
bright and quickened.
Lifted above the rabble,
I floated through
the city until one that loved me
took me down,
made the quietness hard again,
so hard and black it hurt.
How I would ring
the bells for him,
that he might know
this pure and finished silence.
the hole and knew
without hearing
that I was the victor.
Ovals of applause, mouths
wide with acclaim,
blessed my one good eye,
tempered the bronze
in my ears, its soft thrum
bright and quickened.
Lifted above the rabble,
I floated through
the city until one that loved me
took me down,
made the quietness hard again,
so hard and black it hurt.
How I would ring
the bells for him,
that he might know
this pure and finished silence.
