The Sounds of Silence

Deafening Silence

 

Photo by Pixabay

A yellow rose falls to the ground and delicate petals scatter.

I know you can hear me. I know you can see me. I know with each passing day that you are walling yourself in a distant house on a hill, and you are drawing the heavy drapes closed.

I wait at the iron gate. It's crowded thick with overgrown rose bushes that have been ignored far too long.

A thorn catches my t-shirt and blood is drawn. I cannot cry; the silence and indifference will become crushing.

We used to live together. But now you have shut. me. out.

(Originally published 2018/05/26 at 9:43 pm)

How Much Longer?

Photo by Snapwire

She wanted to disappear, to just evaporate on the spot. His words reduced her to nothing and cut her down when she came to him with everything.

But she knows herself, possesses that knowledge, and knows that the love she gives is not a desperate request for more, but rather a deposit made to him from her wealth.

The rejection hurts as much as it did the first time. She knew the risk when he came back.

But she believed then, as much as she believes now, in a man capable of love.

This unwavering belief will not disappear.

.

.

Yet.

(Originally published 2018/05/22 at 9:04 pm)

Leona Lewis - Bleeding Love (Official Video)

Reflection

Photo by Egor Kamelev

She wept.

He kept to himself and only engaged in the niceties of life, but nothing more than that. He locked her out of his interior life. She'd been softly knocking at the door for years.

Yet again, he threw back the door and cut her down with indifferent criticism. He's right, she thought. I don't know who he is.

Out on the deck she took her medication. She drank a glass of wine and reflected on the surf, the setting sun, her fifth glass of wine. Narcissism. It was her fault.

It was all shutting down now.

She slept.

(Originally published 2018/05/20 at 3:32 pm)

Simply Yours

 

Photo by Kristina Paukshtite from Pexels

James took his last breath while holding Emily’s hand. She never left his side, not even to notify family. That last precious intimacy belonged to them alone.

There was just one complication. Pain cinched tightly around her chest. She collapsed on his arm, still gripping his hand.

At their celebration of life, family shared anecdotes and read aged love letters their parents had written.

While on the other side of the lake, there was also laughter disguised by rustling leaves. The sun created a brilliant mirage: James and Emily on a blanket, sharing a picnic. There were no complications now.

(Originally published 2018/05/19 at 8:02 pm)

What Matters

Photo by Pixabay

“Well, shit.”

He’d forgotten Allison’s birthday again.

She joined him on the deck and handed him a fluted glass of champagne. They toasted.

“How could I forget?”

She laughed. “You always do. You’re just so busy paying attention to everything else that matters. There are no strikes against you, Rick.”

He kissed her. “I’m so glad you’re not the type that would pitch a fit.”

“I used to. Remember? We’ve both changed. We’re not who we were when we met.”

Once, that had pained him. He thought they had lost everything between them.

But love always remained.

(Originally published 2018/05/19 at 4:15 pm)