in words as consistent
and natural
as rain—
the best defense
is to let ourselves get
used to this;
they wonder innocently to themselves
out-loud
in front of cameras
just how catastrophic
the ordinary could be;
but most important,
when they speak,
they speak softly
and repeat themselves
often,
in a sturdy yet moving
counterfeit
of poetry,
in order to soak up
the silence which has broken out
and dilute
the genuine virulence
of our doubt.
