the fan
whirls
about
at 10:
46 pm
and I
realize
that I
can make
the whole
world
silent

what is the sound of
silent?

nothing?
but that’s not
something

is it the sound of forest
undisturbed by the ever
-reaching tentacles of
man?

is it the sound of the ocean
washing away the islands
that come and go like it’s
no big deal?

is it you and I as we stare
into each other’s soul as we
think about what we have
done?

is it when the mind stops?
is it when the body stops?
is it when the heart stops?
is it just one last big burst
of sound and then:

nothing?

silence is the golden tool
we humans have used to
keep ourselves sane

a man borne into the cacophony
of so many other men will only
add to the white noise and never
seek to know if there is something
else, something
better

noise is nothing
to music

music is nothing
to silence

silence is nothing?

where does that
leave us
at 10:
52 pm?

it leaves us
at the tv turning
back on,
the music coming
back to rhythm,
my peaceful world
suddenly evaporating
away