A Sliver of Silence

The infinitesimal pause,
a sliver of silence you exhaled,
as you cleared your throat
and willed me to look at you…
what did I think I’d find?

The palette varies,
dusty browns to fiery reds,
the medium from canvas to space
– and yet, the brush strokes are the same…

The unvarying, unwavering theme,
the haunting refrain from long ago,
an unchanging reality
painstakingly played out on stage after stage
draws to its predestined end.

Each time I hear the curtain call
I’m a step closer to the edge –
each pair of eyes that tear away
leave behind fewer tears,
fewer dreams, and far less hope.

See me, I mutely implore…
see me, and see through me! –
The timid blush of dawn reveals
what withering dusk defined…
your image echoed in a sliver of silence
– nothing else,
nothing less and nothing more.

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