Silence is the loudest sound,
It's distracting,
It wakes people up,
It reminds them what life's worth,
It reminds them of fear.

On the other hand...

Silence is peace,
It is the absence of thought,
It is you melting with the universe,
It is the softest end,
To the loudest beginning.

The smell was sweet
when you dropped

the hammer on that roll
of red ribbon

making the gunpowder
puff

and it almost smelled like success
when you watched

your imaginary foe
grab his chest

and fold over
that hitching post

Whit Howland © 2020

"The thing about sht, is it rolls down hill"
My grandfather told me that.
He was a chemist.
"I know about some sht," he said.

"You get sht on by the people above you,
and you sht on the people below."

"Some may let sht slide,
some can't let sht go."

But you never sht on someone beside you.
That's how you make sht grow.

I will remember
the song that my heart
played percussions to.

I will sing the words,
with no one else,
to a song made for two.