by Alejandro Escudé
It looks like a frozen tsunami of ash.
And there are people in that rubble
Like fish tossed out of an old tank.
Was it made out out stiffened moths?
An engineer says it must’ve been
A column—and I’m thinking some
Support gave way, as support often
Gives way in this country, allowing
For the sudden pancaking of people.
All oversights are finally political.
Oh crumbling moon! What must it
Be like for the others who overlook
The site? Am I next? Aren’t we all
In the process of collapse? Come
Daylight, they heard the banging.
No voices, only a nebulous banging
Amid a jumble of metal and granite.
Alejandro Escudé’s first book of poems, My Earthbound Eye, was published in September 2013 upon winning the 2012 Sacramento Poetry Center Award. He received a master’s degree in creative writing from UC Davis. Alejandro works as an English teacher, having taught at the secondary level for many years. Originally from Argentina, he immigrated to California at an early age. A new collection, The Book of the Unclaimed Dead, published by Main Street Rag Press, is now available on the MSR website. Alejandro lives in Los Angeles with his dog, a feisty terrier named Jake.