apocalyptic noise

advance, retreat
here comes the eyeless hurricane
the hint of theft
the nickel with the unfamiliar face

(she runs her needle
through the cloth
and doesn't count
the stitches)

the leaf blowers whine louder
TV warnings echo through the walls
cars whiz past
impossibly fast

(he grasps the handbars of his walker
and moves across the hardwood floor
at his own slow speed)