Final Silence

 

R econciliation
fresh start
a new beginning

our last attempt

but as too usual
tempers flare
lethal barbs are cast
emotional bloodshed

we both know the kill spots

communication careening
ruthlessly
we hit the wall
full throttle

wordless startle
confused frustration
sobering resignation
then somber silence
silence like a weight
heavy as time

midst the din
of restaurant diners
we suffocate in silence

so we just leave it
the rest unsaid

to comment further
would have been irrelevant
and we’ve grown weary
of irrelevance
so very weary

so I sit
unspeaking
as you rise from our table
no farewell’s exchanged
we both know

turning to leave
you cover the distance
to the door
in a few heartbreaking steps

you look back
I will miss you
in your eyes

you hold my gaze
as if to speak

but my eyes
cannot reach back
nothing left to say

you lower your eyes
turn your head
step through the door

and are gone
in silence

*
rob kistner © 2022

More prosery at: dVerse

 


18 thoughts on “Final Silence”

  1. Wonderful poem that captures a breakup and the trying to work things out in a restaurant. I felt as if I were watching a movie scene.

  2. Reminds me of all the break-ups I’ve seen while having breakfast before office in the mornings. They chose a time when the place was not crowded. Often, I was the only witness to a heartbreaking drama.

  3. There are few places more public to have a breakup than a restaurant, but we all do it, don’t we?

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