Golden
They were in the middle of a comfortable silence.
An epic, comfortable silence.
So far it had lasted three and a half years.
Each day they woke and bit their tongues
To prevent spoiling their wordless cocoon.
Six months in, he had taken a breath to tell her
He was so wonderfully happy
At how comfortable their silence was
But she caught it and her eyes flashed both lightning and love
Letting him know she knew and saying it might be a jinx.
They left notes for each other
Magnetically pinned to the fridge,
Rediscovered the art of love letters and
found depths to themselves in silence
they would never have found by talking.
He had once left a note suggesting they learn to sign
But she thought that would be cheating and
somehow the silence would know.
So they read each other day by day
Looked deep beyond the other’s soul.
Each day became a dance to the music of rests
Of expanded hearts and anchoring love.
They disconnected the phone,
Cancelled the cable and hid the radio
At the back of the closet.
Finally, he had to tell her and let it all out.
It was like a soufflé collapsing.
Wordlessly she packed and left,
Crumpled and airless
Wondering how long the next one would last.
