Speak Up - Oct 4 2023

 

Speak Up

Oct 4 2023

She accused me of mumbling.

While I claimed

nothing had changed,

that she should pay better attention

or simply didn't care.

Eventually, things worsened.

When her back was turned

what else could I infer

but that she was ignoring me,

fuming under my breath

and more and more

keeping stuff to myself.

Not deaf, but hard of hearing.

Which comes on slowly,

and like the frog in hot water

is hard to notice.

But it was easy to see

how over time

she retreated into herself.

How her body shrank

face flattened

eyes glazed.

How even her hair

went a shade greyer.

And now, too late, I understand how 

swaddled in cotton wool

the mind dulls

attachment frays.

Too bad

we're the sort of people

who armour ourselves with words,

value intellect

over emotion.

Never learned

to share feelings

find comfort in hugs.

I guess you'd call us repressed,

perhaps even cold.

Because touch

never goes deaf.

And close up

you can whisper in her ear;

the same warm wet tongue

as when you were young

and eager to listen,

the same hot breath

as when you were urgent

and fearless

and words weren't nearly enough.

When she brought you out of yourself,

and long before

receding into hers.