songs get you
don’t they
you think
you’re doing okay
misery more or less
under control let’s say
loss and grief
not present every hour
of every day
you’ve found a foothold
in a warmer world
you suppose
and then
bamalama-bamaloo!
out of the blue
a half–remembered song
comes on the radio
not even on
a music station
but aired
for some other
impenetrable reason
and the first notes
never mind
the first words
immediately loosen your grip
put you back in the pit
and you have
to climb out
and start over again
and again
for pain it seems
never sleeps
never dreams
Jeff Cloves
Illustration: Atlanta Wiggs
.