It came later than expected,
dreaded interruption,
minor inconvenience,
forcing me to slow
down.

Those who know best say,
“Do not leave the house
unless absolutely necessary.”
Ancient wisdom
from the empire’s
last days.

You don’t find silence;
it finds you,
when you least expect it.
Drowning out
everything else.

Vapor
made liquid,
then solid,
succumbing to gravity,
dropping into view.

Takes on flesh
and dwells among us.

Space
has more substance
than ten thousand things.

Because we are
so different,
you and I,
I offer myself
to the cold,
to the nothing
that is everything.