the sauce in poetry

listening and listing
listening and lessening
listening and glistening
listening and lost

listening and loosening
listening let’s give this story a happy ending because we can’t guarantee
the same for ourselves sometimes in this life
listening and leavening
listening and blistering
listening and left behind
listening and lifting the weight
to pretend everything is just fine fine fine

listening and christening
today as a new day
even though it’s not a new day
christening it that way anyway

listening to the signs and portents
listening to what we think’s important
listening to the dentist when
she tells us we should prob’ly floss
listening to the future that might not be coming
listening to the brew that bubbles
listening to the sauce

listening for even a hint of object permanence
listening for even a small role in determining
what happens next
you’d love it and you hope for it
but you’re not so sure that you are placing bets
listening and glistening
listening and lost
listening to the brew that bubbles
listening to the sauce