A Silence

Today's poem, originally published in Silhouette, is the end result of a self-imposed writing exercise. 

I pick a word at random, in this instance "silence," then I try to block out everything else, focus completely on this one word until images start gathering.

Then I write ... and write ... and write. After that, of course, comes the revision ... many revisions, until what I've written has been boiled down to its very essence.

Then, perhaps, it's ready to travel. After all, poetry – if that's what results from all this process – is meant to be shared. If it doesn't turn out to be poetry, well, it's been a good, healthy exercise, at least.

The poem:

A SILENCE

There was a silence

between them, a wall

that neither wanted,

yet they had built it

together, rock upon hard,

uncaring rock. And now,

from opposite sides

of it, he watched

his coffee cooling off,

she used her fork

to turn a cold remnant

of fried egg on her plate,

quietly examining it

like a fine jewel.

© 1997

Today's word: silence