a silent love

only in silence will you fail love’s test,
but I have no tongue
to sing love words,
no mouth to shout them
to the sky, no instrument
to strum beneath your window
until you open it and smile down at me,
no hope.

what use a voice? words cannot
pick you up when you fall
or smile or kiss or light a lantern
to guide your way home. what words
can birth a child or bathe a
fevered brow or hold a dying hand?

my silence holds a constant heart,
and an agile mind, and strength
unadorned by pretty words,
and I wish—how I wish—
for you to block your ears and see me.

my face is not loud
enough to catch your eye.
my small deeds only whisper my love.
your ear is tuned to shouting.

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