The Quiet World
In an effort to get people to look
into each other’s eyes more,
and also to appease the mutes,
the government has decided
to allot each person exactly one hundred
and sixty-seven words, per day.
When the phone rings, I put it to my ear
without saying hello. In the restaurant
I point at chicken noodle soup.
I am adjusting well to the new way.
Late at night, I call my long distance lover,
proudly say I only used fifty-nine today.
I saved the rest for you.
When she doesn’t respond,
I know she’s used up all her words,
so I slowly whisper I love you
thirty-two and a third times.
After that, we just sit on the line
and listen to each other breathe.
This is the most beautiful poem that I have read of late, and I'd like to talk about it with you...or to you. I'm a secret hopeless romantic, and when I can apply something directly to my life, it takes on new breadth and meaning. I do not, of course, have a limit on speech, but rather find myself struggling to find words that can express the beauty of my love for a certain someone.
Actually, I have nothing to say that will carry any weight with anyone. I hope you enjoy it as much as I did.
