in el centro
de ciudad Oaxaca

church bells ringing
by six a.m.
behind pounding raindrops
on cement pavement

motor bikes that roar
alongside
street vendors' calls
for pan dulce

barking dogs
in neighbors' yards
drown the quiet
muffling thoughts

until sleep claims
the tired mind

unconscious

silence
at last

July 1998

© Elbina Batala

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