I never thought I would fall in love with silence
I thought she was oppressive,
A closed window,
A wall with no art,
Judgmental,
A haunted amplifier of thoughts I wanted to forget
I was scared of her
Avoided her by doing homework in the kitchen,
Sticking to roommates,
Filling my mind with any toxic rag that would stifle sound
But when I finally had to live alone
There were moments when silence started to comfort me
Like retreating to your bedroom and closing the door when a party is still going
Or like leaving an unwashed dish
Or blasting your favorite song
So I asked her on a date
And in the forced pause of the crowded airport bar
We fell in love
When we first started dating
I felt I had to always fill her
Like a full water glass in a restaurant
Becaude she breathes loudly
And the static hurt my ears
But she was patient
So I as I got more comfortable with her
I asked her to dance
Twirling her to to a beat with no sound
And eventually
I loved the way she moved
I loved the way she made me exhale
And the way she asked nothing of me
As long as I asked nothing of myself in return
So now I let her take the lead
She cooks for me
Watches TV with me
Cuddles up in bed with me
And I’m happy
Falling for her was surprisingly easy
She wove me a blanket
She comforts me
Stifles me
And loves me
Her freedom fills the void I was afraid of
And now her empty
Feels like home
