Today's poem is by Alice Pettway
White Noise
I ordered silence online,
from the makersof that robot vacuum,
the one that terrifies cats.They claim it will ricochet
through my life, siphoningthe mewling of the computer
in its dark cubby, the shiverof leaves, even the snap of fish beaks
against coral, the air conditioneraccelerating endlessly
around its distant track.I asked customer support
if there was an attachmentto suck the cacophony
out of my head. For this,I said, I would pay extra,
whatever they asked, really.No response came.
I lay on the rug. The machineran along my legs, the side
of my face. I imaginedas loudly as possible, waiting
for the indicator to switch on,for the whir and pinch of suction.
The room is quiet now.Even the stuffing in the couch
does not exhale beneath my weight.
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Copyright © 2020 Alice Pettway All rights reserved
from The Bitter Oleander
Reprinted by Verse Daily® with permission
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