“but we long beyond them
for what is unseen”
—W.S. Merwin
why do we believe in words
when they lie by their existence
they are not what they say
but hint of shadows behind
shadows reflecting some other
which is no where in the sound
beyond what we hoped to mention
before we stood together and spoke
and what remains in the silence
absent the memory of words
often is not enough to sustain
us in our desiccated lives
so we return through mumbled hellos
to a comfortable habit within our talk
(March 27, 2014)
subtext 