Silence's Wake
Sometimes silence is just right. Like when you are in a house full of people And all you want is to be left alone. And sometimes it is deafening. Tonight, it is the kind That slices through muscle and fiber And lodges itself deep within you— The moment you realize what alone Really feels like— When you thought the white noise was quiet— Until someone turned the static off. And you felt your loneliness reverberate And echo in your chest. And the pain of silence slices through The hope that maybe tonight, In the stillness of our home, You would look me in the eyes, Absorb the pounding pain Emanating from my temples, Hold my face between your fingers And whisper, "I'm here. I don't know how to fix the shards, Put back the shattered pieces of what's broken… I can't make it better, But I'm here.” Instead, I brushed my teeth in silence. I washed my face in silence. I took medicine and slipped into the...