Silence
Broken with a scream

There were signs

A twitch of the eye
A snarl of the lip
A look of despair

Hunger

I ignored them
It was so easy to see only the veil
Watch it dance across your face with each saddened breath

And the silence grew

I did not hear it over the crickets
And the wind
If I had only listened
I would have heard it howling louder still

And it grew
The invisible pain
I felt you drift, willingly

So that when you screamed
We cried out together,

I am alone in silence!

The world too damp for the truth to ignite
Our words too loud to hear
You turn

I am alone in silence.

The air clings to my lungs
Sticky and burdened with grief
Displeasing, shallow gasps where once there was so much life
Once there was laughter.
Once there was happiness
The sweetness of it all now turned bitter and black
The weight sits on my chest
With a pressure
Confining
Unnerving

And yet I breathe
And with each breath clearing the scattered soot
I can see a new horizon
Its golden light peaking from behind the choking pall
And I remind myself:
Let it go.
That was not happiness.
Let go of what you thought was happiness.
It was never real.

It was a dispersion of roses now wilting in the sun
Uncovering the green, vibrant life underneath
Still growing
Reaching for the warmth
Spreading like wildfire
The Truth of Self
Now free
I breathe

I miss when we were strangers
You were just another person then
No memories of flesh
Nor hints of sweat
No tickles of your fingertips
Nor heat of your breath
No fog of recollections invading my consciousness
Sounding of your laugh
I miss when we were nothing
Just two people passing by
Sharing a brief glance
Flashing a flirtatious smile
Thinking of what might be
Never knowing it would never...
Never knowing it could never.....
Held in a moment that I wish had lasted forever

I miss not knowing you

Empty, meaningless words
Ushered forth in self-serving promises
Left hanging heavily in the air for you to breath again
Dripping with a stink of naive desperation

"I still want to be friends."