When You Say Nothing At All

Sometimes words can flay a heart’s tissues Inflict wounds that last a lifetime Sear the mind with painful recollections And make you just want to die But then again, inconsequential words Meaningless chit chat To appease the conscience of the one who speaks That something’s been said at last Are just as corrosive Salt rubbed into open wounds That aren’t acknowledged They offend more than comfort And would be better not said at all Then there is the silence Ah…the twisted warped suffocating silence The silence of self-preservation Bought at the price of someone’s sanity…life A silence born out of the knowledge That THIS will take an investment Of emotions and time And so nothing is said You silently withdraw All the one in pain hears is silence A silence that shrieks Of rejection Dead silence Where once there was banter Unchecked laughter ……joy…… When you say nothing at all That leaves a gaping hole in my heart I try to fill it up with memories Of when you were courageous and brave Strong enough to speak Words that would heal Instead of this weak thing you’ve become Only caring for your own well-being The filling falls out Incompatible to my heart’s tissues To the reality of you... It doesn’t hold The holes remain And I slink away To nurse my pain And I draw further into my shell Cocoon myself in outer silence Yet my heart is in constant conversation With the person you used to be When you knock All you hear Is resounding silence For you have taught me well I am a good student I will keep silent I will not tell you sweet little nothings While my heart bleeds And you pretend not to see I won’t talk of the weather If I can’t talk about the storm in my heart I won’t talk of inconsequential things To give you the sense of normalcy you crave I want you to be brave No, I won’t stoop that low And so…………… I pretend Not to be there Two can play this game And I wait for the knocking to cease To be left in peace Safe from a world Where people say Nothing at all. Eileen Manassian Ghali The title of this poem is the title of one of my favorite songs by Ronan Keating. It is the exact opposite of the message of the song which is absolutely fabulous. Give it a listen if you have the time.....http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=AuJrEBtmM1Q. It was the theme song for Notting Hill, one of my favorite movies.