And then the crowd roars

And then the crowd roars–
but why are they roaring?
What are they roaring for?

When you repeat a word
like roaring several times
it starts to come undone inside

your head. It turns
inside out, or upside down
and lurches side to side

without explanation.
Before you can speak
or look, the whole thing’s

over. Like conviction
meaning proves
a co-dependent thing.

The shape of the sound
the shape of the sense:
one dull breaker after

another, foaming white
the fell roar gonging
becoming a ringing

even the singing of birds
reduced to something
that might have been

that wasn’t, or isn’t anymore.
The seething narrows
near the shore go on roaring.

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Conciliar Post is an online community and archive devoted to thoughtful Christian reflection. Since its founding, the site has published theological conversations, reflections on Christianity, reviews, and commentary on culture and current events from a Christian perspective.

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