The Cradle Beneath

Mmm… hush now, hush now… Don't make a sound. The cradle rocks. There's something underneath the ground. A house with no windows, a door open wide. A mother keeps rocking with nothing inside. She sings to the cradle, then waits for its reply. The wood gives a shudder. She calls it a sigh. She hums to the corners, she sings to the dust. The cradle swings slowly on hinges of rust. She tucks in a blanket worn thin at the fold. There's nothing beneath it. There's something to hold. Lie still. Stay low. Don't let them hear you breathe. Little one, little one, hush and lie deep. The things on the hillside are losing their sleep. They click at the keyhole, they scratch at the stair. She sings a bit louder. Pretends they're not there. They know every lullaby. Know every word. They wait for the verse That she swore they'd never learn. Do not wake them. Do not name them. Do not let them sing along. Close your eyes, my darling child. The flies have kissed your skin. Lay your head upon the ground. Don't let the others in. If they call you by your name, Don't answer from your bed. Mother knows the voice you had. She knows that voice is dead. Once there were fingers. Now roots through the seams. Once there were voices. Now mouths full of dreams. They gather beneath her. They breathe through the floor. She misses one word. They remember one more. Lift the latch. Draw the thread. Make a place Inside the bed. Close your eyes, my darling child. The flies have kissed your skin. Lay your head upon the ground. And let the others in. If they call you by your name, Then answer from your bed. Mother knows the voice you had. She wants it back instead. A mother of flies, a mother of bone, She sings every night so she won't be alone. She hums for the lost, she hums for the small, She hums for the ones never born at all. They crawl from the places her hands cannot reach. They open their mouths. She gives each of them speech. They call to her softly. She answers them all. The house has no windows. Now eyes fill the walls. Bow. Lie down. Take root. Be found. You are hers. You are hers. There is room for one more. Close your eyes, my darling child. The cradle rocks beneath the ground. A thousand hands lift up the bed. A thousand mouths repeat the sound. Mother, mother, let us in. We've learned the song. We've brought your kin. She lifts the blanket. Draws it wide. The cradle rocks With her inside. Mmm… hush now… hush now… Don't make a sound. Sleep, Mother. We'll rock you now. The cradle breaks. The earth sings loud.