The Silence of It

"Then you're lying to YOURSELF ! " she suddenly yelled. 

And they both fell silent on the phone with the echo of it. The shock of her never-raised voice,
( and ) of his constant reserve.

The aching silence of wanting, without him entirely being able to. 

The pounding mess of it - that they'd been trying to replace.

( ( ( 

But they were so good before.
When they took the city.
Ohhh, and when, and when... when they danced… she kept spinning him 'round while he laughed. Pulling on his tie and his heart until the music wouldn't breathe. 

And he stopped, and took her hand,

and said -

"trust me once, just follow me once. 

we've got to stand on that Ledge, cause there's nothing to fear….stop shaking baby, 

look -you're up so high and I've got you tight" 

She really would have kept him for a little while. 

But the past, you see, has a dagger out for the remedies we find to fight the memories - when vices won't suffice. 

When fearlessness calms. 

So he goes back in the boxing ring till his muscles go numb. Till her perfume fades from his neck. 

And she goes back to never sleeping alone.  

) ) ) 

"Stop shaking baby, stop shaking and tell me about something else. Let's talk about something other than us. 
So I can talk to you one more time" 

But her voice broke and wavered.

And she hung up the phone.

And he called back over and over, as she watched it blinking in the darkness.
But never answered.

Eventually they went silent again.

Headphones: The Swell Season's "Leave" and "Low Rising"