I’m writing to you
On the behalf
Of silence
There’s a cruelty
In the quiet
your deep laugh once claimed

I know you didn’t mean it
And I hated seeing you stumble
But this eerie quiet
Is like a pillowcase
Over my head

I hate the four plates
That sit on the table
Their porcelain shine
Mocking and jabbing
There’s no need for five

Your absence
Carves out the rock face
Changing the very shape
Of my existence
A new emptiness
Space that one held solid
Threatens to crumble

Your truck in the driveway
I am forced to imagine
You’re waving goodbye
Your smile like the fireplace you built
As you wrap your arm
Around your sweetheart
You wait outside
Until our car is out of sight