11-18-2025, 08:02 AM
Confession at Austin Street
They said we ignored her screams,
but that was to sell papers.
Sounds bend into what we want to believe.
We had looked out windows
before, with no one dying.
Who hasn’t raised their voice,
turned up the television.
Someone would call the police
if it were serious.
We bowed our heads,
so it would feel natural
to close our eyes
and thank God
for the silence
in our own apartments.
They said we ignored her screams,
but that was to sell papers.
Sounds bend into what we want to believe.
We had looked out windows
before, with no one dying.
Who hasn’t raised their voice,
turned up the television.
Someone would call the police
if it were serious.
We bowed our heads,
so it would feel natural
to close our eyes
and thank God
for the silence
in our own apartments.
The secret of poetry is cruelty.--Jon Anderson