Accompaniment

by Jeanne Lohmann

I write to the sound of a siren, traffic jam on the freeway, the song of a jubilant bird repetitive and melodious on the roof, to the summer ice-cream bell and the clamor of children asking. I write to a soft slide of pen, the crackling of paper, my own breath over the page, and in the presence of barely audible words on my lips and tongue while around me sweet sounds move in and out among leaves where the god sings