There is a stiffness in my thumb
That stops me dead on feet
When I bend it, snap,
I clench my teeth

Cars hiss, splashing tires
The rain soothes my bones
Outside my grimy pane,
Dolorous bells—
Telephones

Do thumbs really ache
In inclemency?
All this time the rain
Has acidified, melting my marrows,
Or perhaps I had only fallen