The Well Rising
by William E. Stafford
William E. Stafford
William E. Stafford was born in Kansas as a Conscientious Objector, he grew up to become a professor at numerous Colleges, then to lecture across the world and write poetry and nonfiction books. http://www.poetryoutloud.org/poet/william-e-stafford
The well rising without sound
I believe that this line calls back to his upbringing on a farm in Kansas as the rest of the stanza also seems to be memory based.
The sharp swallows in their swerve
This begins a new set of memories about the birds that lived on the farm and how they always seemed to be racing to the end.