The Silence of Lies
I feel you leave
in the silence stamped
into the cracks of my kitchen tiles
by lies told and not
I cook with it,
this silence so alive
it flutters at the door
seeking to escape
I sit on the floor
wondering if you chew them
or swallow them whole
knowing they stick on the way down
when there are no tears left
to ease their way
the clock ticks
orchestrating time
as the door clicks
shut behind you
Copyright/all rights reserved Audrey Howitt 2019
Posted for http://poetryblogroll.blogspot.com/2019/11/pantry-of-poetry-and-prose-5.html
So much pent-up emotion and truth seeping out. Time and silence very present and telling characters. I love how these things can be pressed into the floor and cooked with - so palpable they become. Incredibly well written, Audrey.
ReplyDeleteI wonder if lies ever can stay silent... they have a way of come back ... screaming at the top of their voice.
ReplyDeleteThis is incredibly evocative, Audrey!❤️ I resonate with; "I cook with it, this silence so alive
ReplyDeleteit flutters at the door seeking to escape."
I can feel that silence, aftert the door closes. So well done.
ReplyDeleteThis is stunning … an utterly prize winning prize of poetry … for so-o-o-o many reasons.
ReplyDeleteThere may be silence but, I think no peace.
ReplyDeleteWow. I love this. The lies in the tiles, the fluttering silence. The sound of the door closing
ReplyDeleteSuch vivid imagery! Arresting yet utterly right. I would single out the same vers e that Sanaa did as particularly striking.
ReplyDeleteThe sdaness here in this situation is the feeling of failure when the life you anticipated together falls apart.
ReplyDeleteSo much sadness, and so much we all can relate to. Beautiful as always, my friend.
ReplyDeleteThere is a vividness to this piece which lingers, especially in the last two lines of the penultimate stanza--one can practically see her and feel her working her throat, wondering if this is it, or if liberation comes next.
ReplyDeleteThe idea of all the lies worked into the structure of such every day things, things normally associated with comfort, adds a layer of claustrophobia that works so well.
ReplyDeleteWonderful write. Sometimes silence can be the loudest of all.
ReplyDeleteIs a truth untold still a lie? Is the lie leaving you through the door and shutting it, leaving you alone?
ReplyDeleteYou've described the sad truths to a lie
Powerful poem tinged with sadness, so beautifully expressed.
ReplyDeleteThis is beautiful, the silence a living thing. Love the use of 'ticks' and 'clicks' in the last verse.
ReplyDelete