What Was Written

Long night. Sleepless.
I heard an owl, its call
filtering through the tall trees,
writing itself on the lush silence.
Other sounds followed reverently,
a moth whispering its powdery 
presence somewhere in the room,
then, the soft padded footsteps 
of a possum walking gently
across the rooftop of an evening
back into silence.

I tapped into the private
conversations the house 
was having with itself, the creaks
and groans, the stifled gurgle
bubbled up from a troubled pipe
and from downstairs, an unknown 
bump that gave no hint of cause. 
The house carried on with this 
chatter for hours then fell quiet
and perfectly still.

Later, I heard the dampened throb
of a locomotive coming in and out
of earshot as it skirted the far
reaches of the dawn, then a screech 
of car brakes from a nearby street
causing the nerves to brace.
Too soon morning comes
with its hurry, erasing the silence 
upon which this was written.
Time now for sleep.
Copyright © | Year Posted 2023

Poem

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Lane Avatar
August 8, 2023 at 6:14 AM
A testament to those who need noise of some sort to nod off. Often, I've fallen asleep with the TV on and at 3 am, when it's off air, the silence wakes me. Poetically, superb with mention of the house conversing with itself. For those of us who are awake when others sleep, we DO hear every groan and gurgle of our homes. In my case, pine cones falling on the roof.
Willason Avatar
August 10, 2023 at 6:05 AM
Thanks Lin. Always find that silence provides the perfect backgound for giving each sound its clarity....although a pine cone would be a bit alarming...afraid that one night a big branch could be attached to it. Regards
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