From the Fishouse

Silence.
Take all secrets
to the grave – or beyond. How to

tie a shoe, wear a smile,
a mask. How to say
Can’t or No. How

to make a fist, a joke,
a baby. Hold back tears.
When to leave.

Come home sullen, exhausted, short-tempered. Eat.
Watch TV. Say nothing. Fall asleep. Repeat
the same tomorrow. And the next day and the next. Call it love.