The Sound of Silence
I pluck a string. Low E.Baby girl on floor goes still.Rosebud lips round to a silent O. Low reverberation, ripples up and down my spinein male baritones. High E.Soft block slips from chubby hands.Eyelids flutter. We watch.The room fills with fireflies.Blink. Blink. Blink. A high trill, like crystal notes from a water-glass xylophone,signals her joy. We watch.Fireflies shift intoa rainbow of electric butterflies. Baby trills a chord: eeee aaa ddd.We drink in harmony,effervescent fizzies tickling tummies. She makes the sign for more.My fingers dance over strings.Colors pop like fireworks and I laugh for her. ~Nara Maloneimage credit: blurred christmas lights by Dominick on Flickr It’s possible not everyone sees the…
More Than or Less Than?
Autism by hepingting on Flickr Photosharing Age 2Diagnosis: AutisticTranslation: Less thanPrognosis: Will always need care.Oblivious of doctors, he cracked the Youtube lock on Mom’s phone. Kept hitting song replay.Lyrics: I Get You and You Get Me. Age 3Re-evaluation: GeniusTranslation: More than.Cracked code on reading/writing. Does second grade math.Mom’s phone chirps, “Oh no! Zombies ate your brains.”He giggles.They still don’t get him. ~Nara Malone This is my contribution to G-Man’s Friday 55. Drop by to see what others wrote or to join the fun yourself.
Silent Love Song
Santa Fe Trail 28 Mar 2010 by Brokentaco, on Flickr I never was the queen of chat.Monthly minutes used on my phone tend toward single digits. I never minded your silence.I think you’re quiet because you’re listening.Listening intently,with more than your ears. I’ve seen you on a summer night,shirtless,rocking in time to crickets and katydids,each beat of breath in rhythm, as if your cells breathe sound rather than air. I’ve seen you transfixed by the swoosh of waves,arms spread wide like a bird poised for take-off,as if you can catch the vibrations in hollow-flute bones,let the boom of surf against rock lift you like song into the clouds I’ve seen…