There+was+silence

By William Jenkins

There was silence… And everything stopped. Everything stopped and that godforsaken silence Stretched on.

For hours.

For days.

For millennia.

In that awful moment that silence reached out and carved its grotesque face onto every day of my future.

Damage already wrought, it begged to stay remembered; to become not only tragedy, but aching memory; That which should have been a joyful recollection ruined by goddamned silence.

Strengthened by mourning, Gorging gleefully on sorrow, that silence became a monster hiding beneath the bed, making us fear.

Fear trying again.

Fear another hole in our hearts.

Fear hearing that silence once more.

Somehow we heal, though definitely scarred. That silence yet lingers, Not as monstrous as before. The beast is soon exorcised by hope; Eclipsed by the light of new life.

We again wait to hear signs of life. We put on a brave face, One for the other. Deep within, the memory of silence chills our blood. Secretly we pray for release from this cruelest of masters.

Sensor touches exposed flesh. We hold our breath.

//The room fills.//

Fills with the beautiful music

of a daughter’s heartbeat.

And that silence,

though forever with us l oses its power.