I’m not afraid of silence. There’s a comfort in it. A pause, a breath. It never bothered me before. Silence with you is a black hole, a dreadful waiting, a trip to the DMV. Silence with you is an unheard question, a glass half full. A ticking clock at 3:00 a.m. Let me rest. I swear I’ll fill it, I’ll ramble nothings I know you’ll hate. Anything to run from it. Your blank stare, your critical ears, “To speak or to die?” I hardly know. I am afraid of silence with you.