You make no comment
because you worry you will be misread,
misinterpreted, misunderstood.
Afraid of fault lines and fragile feelings,
you tell yourself it is safer
to say nothing at all.

The silence is deafening.
A ringing in my ears makes clear
an echo of inner emptiness.
Yet, you are present in your absence,
and I hold you like sacred space
in the long letting go.

You left without goodbye;
still, you hover near, thinking me unaware
of your proximity and care.
You do not want me to know, afraid
that I might squawk too loudly
for more of you.

I make no comment.
I no longer worry you will never speak
but pray for you to trust
as, even now, I find faith in your heart.
In your unspoken vow of fidelity
I hear the mighty roar of love.