That Sounds Like Silence
Embers on the fire burned.
The smoke billowed up high
against the cool morning air.
Clouds floated like bursts of
bloated cotton. I watched
you turn to walk away.
Even the birds stopped.
I leaned against the tree, the
bark warm against my back
and held my hands over my eyes.
I did not want to see all
the places I would have to
practice being alone. I wanted
music yet nothing would play.
Linda Maria Steele is a poet, artist and writer based on Cape Cod. She is Adjunct Faculty at Dean College. She teaches a popular writing class called Finding the Writer Within. The author of three books including Tending the Marsh, Finding the Writer Within, and Meet Me in My Cape Cod Kitchen.