Government Decisions I Wish For

…
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.

“The Quiet World” By Jeffrey McDaniel

Maybe not every day, but I wish for more silence some days. The turmoil in my head needs it, the heartbreak in my heart would love it, and the joy I still have longs for it too.

We think in silence, don’t we? Perhaps more thinking might be the ultimate goal? Preferably before we take action – and not after?

Just typing….quietly