Bungalow

1.
The city isn't peaceful
like the she-touch of a wave
spilling up onto the shore
then falling back
by moon's effect

2.
The family visits the post office
on Sundays
rationing letters out to the young
children
to drop in the mailbox
like they do at the park:
scatter wood particles for the
termites hiding in the trees

3.
The house down there is naked-
made of pine logs
just cut last year
although new, the floors
creak and each crack
plays a different song
with the radio in the back-
ground

4.
The walls are full of splinters
and the hall light lives at
night, with stamina

5.
One child swears she's swimming
in a lake, not an ocean
because she's scared of sharks
Just like at night, she
swears the hall light is God
because she's scared of the dark

6.
But a lake doesn't crash at the
shorelines like that
Like words on a page,
falling down