Grieve silently

Grieve silently

He does hear it

In the release of tension

From a clock spring

As it slowly unwinds

The ticking is remorseless

Waiting for it to stop

Is as stressful

As the jiggle of an ice cube

Waiting to fall

Into the tray

As agitated as an old man

In a steam room

Waiting to step into a plunge pool

Should he do it

Should he not

The scream of fear

Equal to his delight

On jumping out

The drip of a tap

The settling of a house

With many stories to tell

The crack in the corner

Where the anger

Has tried to break free

Lifting off the roof

Even when it only

Wanted to blow off the doors

Secrets and lies

Bubble out from the flat below

It is in their choice of wallpaper

Discoloured by smoke

Even without a fire

The smell of nicotine lingers

Lifting the paper from the wall

Peeling at the edges.

It takes too many drinks to hide

The smell

Floating all the way

To the sewer

With everybody else's dirt.

He does hear it

In the hollow of a drywall

In the absence of an answer

To a question always asked

Never posed

Leaving too much of a gap

In its silence

The truth of this

Comes back with a roar

And he does hear it

Even without a body floating

In alcohol

Trying its best to soak up

The local colour

Disappear into the miasma

A wounded bull

A swamp animal

Reeking of marsh gas

So often left

To stew

Alone in the shadows

Whilst hearing

The sound of someone

Else’s laughter.