Silence comes
from bones
that rot in the Earth
beneath a wet stone
with a carved name
white as good teeth
in a hard jaw.
Silence is
a homerun some kid
hit in Tennessee
in 1973 and a father
remembering the ball
going like a bullet
deep into left center.
Silence is
a brother grimacing
whispering your name,
through salt
and tears on his cheeks,
one last time.
Silence, it just is...
quiet, like pain.