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Last day (san san)

If this turns out to be the last day we can speak
will we feel foolish for the unsaid words? the baby
bucks head-butting in the yard will go on play-
ing, trampling our unsaid words. The world might creak
to an end on this last day. Frightened away, maybe
the baby words will find each other in the yard, nest
under the hooves of the wannabe bucks, on this last day
we could have spoken. The silent bucks will come to rest.

(This poetic form is called san san, which apparently means “three three” in Chinese. It rhymes as you see (a-b-c-a-b-d-c-d), and also repeats, three times, each of three terms or images; in this case, last day, (unsaid/baby) words, (baby/wannabe/silent) bucks)

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