All night while the rain fell
you turned the words over in silence
The wet grass did not know
your brother was asleep across the room
You smelled the mowed lawn,
listened to your brother’s breathing
You wanted to memorise the words
scorched into wood
love… perennial as grass
but all you could think of was losing
faith, a breath at a time
*
On a plaque over the chimney breast,
Ehrmann’s words failed you then
as they do now
…no less than trees or stars
No shame, or bitter recollection,
only your brother’s unforgettable reserve
While the rain falls
like an audience applauding silence
