Things can come clear
in the quiet steps of night
when there is time —
(a pause after a question
may take a block or even two —
the silence stretching taut between the houses
till there’s enough tug
to pull the answer up from underneath)
Things can come clear
in the dark
where a face can be averted
so exposing looks can pass by
undetected
and there is time
to regain composure,
to find the words,
and there’s time to get beyond
reflexive postures. There’s time
to really hear, and to start over.
There’s time for the warm, quiet
language of hands
clasped through the traversing
of many streets
to make room for everything
that needs to be spoken.
©Wendy Mulhern
November 2, 2013