Silence; Visiting the Cliffside Villa

Photograph via Flickr by sheri | today is pretty
Silence
Not an absence
of blackbirds
singing, but
an abundance
of blackbirds
listening.
Visiting the Cliffside Villa
People who live
alone have systems
for dishwashing, for the wringing
of hands. The dinner
bell or bell the cow
wears are not necessary.
Remember this if you visit.
Remember, when he stands, not
ungallantly, on the Brancusi
limestone chair, hanging
the mosquito net above
the bed. Remember, when
he clasps the lace mesh
to his chest as if it held
some slender bride. Try not
to forget how he harvests
the orange orchard single-
handed, how he lets
what he can’t sell or eat,
under lock and key, in
the stone cellar, rot.