Alone

You are alone. It could be a slow walk through

Pines in the forest, or an early morning at home,

That breathless moment of stillness just before

Dawn. For some, midnight is the quietest time

When the sleeping abandon you with nothing but

Stifled thoughts to accompany the calmness all

Around. No dialogue to distract you, not a note of

Music disturbing the air. You are alone. It could be

That deep silent void which precedes the moment

Before death. One slow breath exhaled, a final

Heartbeat, wingless birds hidden high in the

Branches without a single chirp--the deafening
Thunder of nothing heard.

Chris Hanch 3-1-17