THE WORDS WE DO NOT SAY

                       -- for my parents
 

The words we do not say
live a life we cannot see
some mill around
& lean on shovels
-- the Devil's plodding maintenance crew

They keep the roads to Hell open
erecting detours of avoidant silence
-- a silence that estranges

Yet there are other words
equally unspoken
who find honest work
they lead attentive, upright
dignified lives
               -- faithfully serving
a Presence that was here
before
   there were ears