Silence

silence
is not silent
listen carefully
you'll hear the distant sound.

the whir of the washing machine,
the tick
of the clock,
the hum of the vacuum cleaner
from a distant room.

silence
is not silent,
it's the sound of the things
we don't normally hear
in our cacophonous culture.

a beating heart,
a clunk from a radiator,
a dog shifting position
in his daytime sleep.

silence
is not silent,
listen.

This weekend is not silent
listen for an intake of breath,
a rustle of sheets,
a creak of a stone...