The Sound of Silence
Sandy’s Note: This story was originally written in 2009 by my friend, Patty Johnson. She wrote these words shortly after her youngest son, Jaime, left for college.
I miss the smells of sausage in the morning
The look of boredom at midday
Of kitchen invasion moments after the last dish is put away
And last minute requests for the next day
The pungent smell of a young boy’s room
Dirty footsteps that trail the floor
Grass stains from mowing inside the door
The wonder of a full moon
I miss the look of a next day "reminder"
Books scattered throughout the room
Uniform completely unkempt
Stress of lateness and look of doom
Now I feel the wanting of an empty dishwasher
The quietness of our stove
The door that doesn't slam
And the boats just "sit" in our cove
Where are the smells we hate to love?
The "run" to the store that we expect
No more dinners we have to think of
Or waiting for the end of practice
Do we listen for the closeness of the sirens?
Watch the news for details of accidents
Can we escape the days of worry now
What is this sound of silence?
Where are the memories on the kitchen counter this morning?
Of a baby who grew during the night
And took over our waking moments
And grew to eighteen in the blink of a light
Might the pain that envelopes our heart
Evaporate into thin air
If we longed for not a care
And not even know that he was ever here
For even with pain
and the silence of sound
Tears mean we have been loved
We remember a hug that only a mother knows of
It's the one he gave you
when he was just three
A smile meant only for you
A gift only for thee
It's a hug and a smile that you won't ever forget
Even on days when you thought you could go on no more
But found the energy for one more task
To help with projects and the spill on the floor
It's the laughter of him and his friends by his side
And the litter of children strewn at our feet
Happiness of treats at the 3 o'clock tide
Of these, the warmth grows deep, deep inside.
So now we must contend with the sound of silence
And remember the squeeze that took our breath away
We push the void to a place outside our heart
Replace the tears with memories from that day
Patty Johnson, the author, wrote this poem shortly after her youngest son, Jaime, left for college in 2009 leaving she and Ed as newly empty-nesters. Patty and Ed are now enjoying a frequently noisy home full of the sounds and voices of ten grandchildren (5 boys + 5 girls). They have also added three beautiful daughter-in-laws to their busy family.
