English 352: Forms of Poetry Rondeau Contest Winner

Sounds of the City

I sleep in silence that creaks and moans
from upstairs neighbors' ringing telephones
and outside I hear the day grow
as garbage trucks begin to roll
and the trains quaking trussels groan.

Sleep will escape since I do not own
earplugs or CDs where wilderness roams.
I do not live where the west winds blow,
I sleep in silence.

Outside, lost lovers try to atone
for past sins and the stench of cologne.
Yet, in my dreams, no noise below,
the dirt street painted white with snow.
Here I find peace of my own,
I sleep in silence.

Rheanna Pulley

BIO: Rheanna Pulley is currently a English Major with Creative Writing Concentration at Southern Illinois University in Carbondale, Illinois.