Silence is a shadow
filled by its beholder.
It’s fortress or an ambush,
a dreamer’s field or burial ground.
It’s fear or hope,
tension or peace,
a welcome gift
or a deafening assault.
It’s stunned confusion
or unspoken understanding,
the moment before a first breath
or the moment after a last.
It’s the storm to come
or the storm come through.
It’s a yes or a no.
It’s a maybe.
Maybe it’s nothing at all.