Whisper

For a whisper in a room
Brings memories of what once was
And will never now become.
Dissolute, now reimagined,
As only the past can be.

In the slanting pale light
Stopping to think is all that there is.
A cigarette burns slowly in the crowded ashtray.
The scent of loss and regret lingers,
Dancing with the illuminated dust
And smoke that floats across the room.

For a whisper in a room
Reminds us only of the screaming silence that follows,
Where the scrape of a chair
And the sigh and squeak of bedsprings
Are incongruous interruptions of a reverie.

Layers of paint peel and chip,
Their edges rough with worrying.
Colors muted by the passing of time and sunlight,
A spreading mandala stains the ceiling,
And the walls click and groan
As they stretch their old joints and taut skin.

For a whisper in a room
Sparks memories of joy,
Squeals of delight, and deep throated laughs,
Playful moments--passionate and dear--
And unending nights
That outshone the stars.