Being There
And you say – do you?
Atleast you say, I seem to agree, I suppose.
And we hold our hands and smile
Without saying what we used to say.
We gaze above our eyebrows
And watch the valleys filled with smoke…
We just smile and gaze.
You pick up on that silence I’d created
And dwell there, two of us,
Punished by the rapture of our words.
I do not think, nor do I feel
I just sit there, holding your hands,
An object, cold and hard as rock.
And you open your mouth and seem to say
And I don’t know what.
But you say, anyway, and laugh.
Excuse me, I do not hear,
I do not understand.
I am here and you there
I feel your presence (I hold your hands)
But you are there and I here.
You say your say and I do not hear.
You do not smile or laugh, now –
Neither am I –
You just stare, lost and blank.
I hear a voice, not yours, though –
Excuse me, yes I am sorry –
But there is that voice…familiar
I hear it clear…I know this voice
Perhaps I don’t know…but…yes,
Whose voice is this?
It deafens my ears,
It shakes my courage,
It defies my strength,
It drives me mad…
And suddenly, it is not even a voice
It is a scream…loud… empty…ruined!
I shake my head in disbelief
And turn around…no one is there.
The voice still continues
I turn my head, and you are gone.
The wind is blowing hard and dry,
My face is sore and eyes are wet,
My lips are cracked and ears cold,
You are gone and the voice has died.
I shiver and smile, clownishly.
