There was breathing but there were no bodies

Anywhere to be found & so we switched ourselves

Down a couple of notches and we barely moved

And we really listened and this time we really

Listened in case we could catch a glimpse or

Get an inkling or see something around the edges

Of everything available & then some, so we

Stayed tamped and dampened and tuned which was

Fine which was what was needed to remind us

How silent a submarine can be & how slowly one

One can remove a glove if one wants to remove a glove

Very slowly one finger at a time almost reluc-

Tantly if at all, so we waited better than we’d

Ever waited before or since & then some meteors

Started streaking into earth’s atmosphere leaving

Long broad gauze trails in their wakes in every

Direction we turned to look much of the breathing

We’d half-dreaded had materialized, gasps, audible

Awes, little sighs, pink squeals, now and then

Chrashingly thunderous rounds of applause almost,

Shocking, and it was.