Christopher Kuhl’s most recent poem to appear here was “Tragedy” (December 2019).
Silent Prayer
By Christopher Kuhl
Highways murmuring
murmuring highways murmuring
in the night the river murmuring
between its banks the river
murmuring in the night a freight
train groaning in the night the river
groaning the highways murmuring
murmuring in the night, the middle
of the night a cold pale
smoke against the sky’s
charcoal dark the creaking
of the oak tree its stifling
shadow splayed out
across the yard the cold room
of light in a car hurtling through
the dark the light of the moon
dimly revealing herself to me
showing me the way the truth
of lovers the birth of a child
no way to bring it forth:
highways murmuring in the night
rivers groaning, murmuring in the night
repetition of a ritual repetition
of ritual prayers actions rituals
for holy days for a lifetime
chanting a lifetime lost in the
silence that ensues hearing
my heartbeat my heart beat still
until finally the earth fades fading
the grass withering all beings
murmuring creaking whispering
all descending. What
is missing is rendered unspeakable
what is unspeakable is murmuring
groaning is unthinkable a skeleton
is unspeakable but the highways
murmuring run through it the murmuring
river clothes it inside the murmuring
belief it is silent but no longer
unspeakable: the poet breaks
the silence the poet breaks the
silence what kind of silence
is being broken?
the highways are murmuring in the night
the river is murmuring in the night