From a worn chair in a dim, dusty room,
Old ears listen for a familiar tread:
The fast, heavy clicks of heels,
Focused and fast in a no-nonsense drive
From home to work and back again.
But, no. A breath. That tread was from then.
Tired eyes close. Then wait for the beat,
The pitter-patter of dainty feet that
Jump and flutter down the stairs
To head to school or outside to play.
No. Those feet grew. They moved away.
A sigh. A breath. A weary shake.
And the head turns for a slower step,
Careful and reliable in sturdy shoes,
Always there, each year, each hour and day.
And so in the silence the old ears stay.
Monthly Archives: May 2017
Old Ears
Elements of Everyone
A hundred subtle vowel and
Consonant changes – inflections that
Challenge the ear of strangers with
Elements of everyone you know:
Nanoscale bits of people absorbed
Through life and reflected back.
Happy May Day
Can you hear the giggles?
Hear the pattering feet
Fading off down the street
As the door opens wide,
With no one to see.
But a bouquet of flowers
Sits neat on the stoop
Store-bought in a vase or
Hand-picked in a jar –
A gift from a neighbor,
A relative, or a friend:
A deep, thoughtful gift,
Or a traditional way
To say, “Thank you,” “I love you,”
And “Happy May Day!”
twytte 