I
M
P
E
T
U
S
#
2
6

    Unsounding

    I can no more describe the shrill
    and hum of the Powerhouse stones than I could
    bring the sweat (and blood), boot worn,
    to your ears. I cannot mimic

    the electro-static surge, as it is yet
    - unstilled.

    My mouth will not make these sounds
    that refuse sleep, the way the gangs
    of scab workers refused sleep even under guard.
    Or how the chains rattle when pulled
    from their high-ceilinged hooks, locked down
    in the Welfare room, now waylaid to rubble.

    I cannot crack, cold, like the kettle
    full with the memory of then - new

    steel. I cannot make these sounds.
    I can only tell you that they are there
    and they are less

    and less

    with each passing.


    -Haze McElhenny
    Bethlehem, PA


    unsounding by Haze McElhenny
    Unsounding: Photo by Haze McElhenny
    On visiting the site of the Bethlehem Steel during the deconstruction phase - 1999 - 2001



< Back