Thinking Out Loud

my first language is english
my second is silence

the spoken word came naturally
but attempting to decipher
the meaning of silence
has been all consuming
for a very long time

i listen out for it
and when i hear it coming
i catch it
hang it up and poke it
with a stick
and watch what happens next


i hear the silence
and i feel the weight
i can sniff out intonation
and nuance
and can translate these
into most languages


i am now an expert
and no longer need to second guess
i am writing up my research
compiling a silent reader (illustrated)


my next trick is being it