Concrete Thump

The slam came from high above,

a sudden fist of sound.

It cracked the still air like a whip,

made the old concrete shudder 'round.

Then down it rolled, a falling thing,

a hollow drum, a muffled beat.

Thump, thump, thump, the pressure sting,

descending through the narrow street

of this tall, quiet building.

My eardrums held it, deep inside,

a fading resonance, a hum.

It didn't stop, it just implied

that something broken had become

a part of how this building breathes.