Listen.
        Hear the dissonance between my words
        And question if I meant to pause
        Or if it was just the natural fluctuation of my voice
-
        I’m screaming for attention when I don’t speak
        In the way my eyes widen
        And my head lowers

Inhale.
        Slowly now
        So that the air moving through your lungs
        Isn’t so much as a whisper

Quiet.
        It’s the pauses we take when we talk on the phone
        No voices exchanged
        But the smiles are content
        Resting on the absence of noise between us

Learn.
        I’m deaf to the world
        And you’re the only one I seem to be able to hear
        Despite the void of sound
-
        God, you sound beautiful
        My ear drums don’t vibrate
        But my heart does
        So I understand everything you’re saying before your mouth moves

Exhale.
        Watch the way my chest falls
        Tell me with you hands if I’m not letting go slow enough

Realize.
        They say a picture’s worth a thousand words
        But the vacancy of audio is worth your attention

Silence.
        It’s golden
        Even when we erase it with straining vocal cords
        Understand that speech is a waste of oxygen
        Every moment we spend speaking
        Is a moment closer to our last breath

Listen.
        Hear the world on mute
        Hear the dissonance in the emptiness
        Hear what I have to say
        When my lips don’t open.