This is a sound
you never thought
you’d learn, a sound
your mother did not
anticipate. She watched
your infant head lift
to follow the chirp
of birds, the sudden voices
on tv, the heavy steps
of your father’s glossy
shoes, on his way
to work. She never thought
you would learn the sound
of a skull encased
in fragile flesh, slamming
into concrete. Never
thought you’d hear it
from the inside.
*****