talking to the living
ping pongs along even
when the bounce lands
in deeper ponds, mud
and muck sticking
as a common weight might

the dead don't play games
however long ago they left
you, on a one-sided field
    over time
hearing only what was never
said, imagined or implied,
forgotten or revealed
in what thoughts you never
bother to consider when they are
      able with words
to let you know
they are here