how   long does  it    take  to  realize
you're playing a duet with someone who's
put     their        instrument     down?
i   told  myself   it   was just  timing
a               skipped             beat
a               missed           refrain
but how long can  a  song  linger before
it's               only           noise?
how  long  does   it   take   to realize
that             the             silence
was      never       meant    to    end?