semantics

something like a murmur of voices
that is what it should be called
i think
when you hear a certain something
a murder of crows a
pod of whales a gaggle
of geese
why not a murmur of voices when you
hear the sound of a cocktail party in full
swing or capture the noise of a church's
congregation after the service is over and
before everyone leaves for lunch
why not fold your hands, turn your fingers in
here is the church and here is the steeple
open the doors and hear a murmur of
voices
circling around outside the murmur is the ever
watchful eye of form and the "let me put
a damper on things" hawkeye of function
but for now
just bellow, for now just throw your head
back and laugh, a guffaw, a cloudburst of
sound, a salient feature in the murmuring
crowd of others, oblivious that we listen
for the sound of a beloved and we never
stop to wonder how one voice
rises up out of the midst and says
hello