Melissa Bednar
UNLEARNING

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The thought is
Caught
In the silence --
that subtle
Hmmm
     Mmm
          Mmm
Bouncing on the walls
Bound
Abounds
Like the hum of a crowd
Buzzing

And I am supposed to hear
To understand
The thud
      Bump
           Gurgle

Swallow
It up whole
Drink it down
For the truth

And even though
It is unspoken
It hovers
Challenges
Unchallenged --
Sighs...
      With relief

It is masked
Unsaid
Unmeaning
Remedial
      Shhh
I almost heard it.

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(c) 1999 Melissa Bednar. All rights reserved.

Appears in Schools of Verse: An Anthology of Poetry About School, Fall 1999.