July 7, 2004

Heartbreak

By Tony Brown

This is one of those words that can’t be understood until you have lived through it.

And then, you simply say, “I’m heartbroken,” and those who have been heartbroken understand and fall silent while the others make sympathetic noises. They make sounds with you, in concert with you, in response to you.

What they do not realize is that what you need most is silence.

There are some memories that can only be grasped in the left hand and held to your ear in dead silence.

There are some voices that can only be conjured up when you are so quiet you could hear a pin crack.

There are some rooms that only return to existence when the space around you is sucked clear of anything like a sound, a word.

This is why poetry is useless for heartbreak’s balm. All a poem can do is move along beside you. It can never move inside you until after you are healed.

About Tony Brown

Unknown's avatar
A poet with a history in slam, lots of publications; my personal poetry and a little bit of daily life and opinions. Read the page called "About..." for the details. View all posts by Tony Brown
This entry was posted on Wednesday, July 7th, 2004 at 1:01 pm and posted in uncategorized. You can follow any responses to this entry through the RSS 2.0 feed.

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July 7, 2004

Heartbreak

By Tony Brown

This is one of those words that can’t be understood until you have lived through it.

And then, you simply say, “I’m heartbroken,” and those who have been heartbroken understand and fall silent while the others make sympathetic noises. They make sounds with you, in concert with you, in response to you.

What they do not realize is that what you need most is silence.

There are some memories that can only be grasped in the left hand and held to your ear in dead silence.

There are some voices that can only be conjured up when you are so quiet you could hear a pin crack.

There are some rooms that only return to existence when the space around you is sucked clear of anything like a sound, a word.

This is why poetry is useless for heartbreak’s balm. All a poem can do is move along beside you. It can never move inside you until after you are healed.

About Tony Brown

Unknown's avatar
A poet with a history in slam, lots of publications; my personal poetry and a little bit of daily life and opinions. Read the page called "About..." for the details. View all posts by Tony Brown
This entry was posted on Wednesday, July 7th, 2004 at 1:01 pm and posted in uncategorized. You can follow any responses to this entry through the RSS 2.0 feed.

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