The Account

by James Diaz
​
 
This is how things really began
a voice calling out to you
from another room down the hall
it was impatient and not really calling
for “you” at all
 
mid morning
how some particle in the center of things
clasps on too tightly
until you can't feel it
against your own body
the trembling and the fault line of the tremble
marking clear out posts
across the field and blue sky
and the talk of the town
drowning you out
 
trying to hold onto yourself
you see how difficult this can be
how deep in reverse
time is
and how those scars on your arm
tell a very different story
than the one you are trying to tell
 
there is at least one thing that you do know
will not fail you when you need it most
a voice on the telephone
who will say, “Tell me what happened.”
And they will mean it.