one silence too many

The kids I knew would always go to the weddings, while a child in me had always been attending the funerals.
One by one,
slowly and gradually they would all slip away,
empty chairs by the table
until the loudness of the silence took the central place in the house...

Shoelaces, ceiling fans, deep sea, hospital beds attached themselves to people to remove their faces from the album of memories.

I became immune to funerals,
until suddenly time caught me at the threshold,
somewhere between the past and future,
at midnight,
as the shadow of feet walking away fell into a shadow of feet coming back,
bringing in even louder words of silence.

I freeze for a moment,
as the cold hand of silences is touching me again,
not immune,
frightened of the silence of the words that need to be said before the time for farewells arrives too soon again...

Silence just one phone call away,
as I unpack the black dress and wear it in front of the mirror...
a wrinkle added itself to the face,
seamlessly bringing me one step closer to the day when my cup of tea will stand empty on the shelf...
undrunk, unsaid, untouched, untangled...

silent.