Frequency

It wasn't the rise and fall of the cops

or the long, low groan of the hook and ladder.

It was a thin, high-low shriek

that seemed to come from the sky.

I lay there in the dark, watching

the blue security light from the street

strobe across the popcorn ceiling.

Whatever it was, it was looking for someone,

and the silence after it left

felt like a held breath I couldn't release.