The hushers

It was happening again. Now and then,
As I returned to the room
After a minute or two, they would
Hush—

        Only to resume
Like puppets affected by
An intimate glitch—a difficult itch
Installed just inside their wooden heads,
Each bobbing just right, prompt and sound,
With their tiny chins jerking up and down,
Duly agreeing to bereave all sense of
Good will and decency
In cordial harmony.

Dale Chou
2012-05-08