Theodore M. Wandzilak
Quiet
In my empty new home, I had an empty courtyard
In the brick courtyard
I listened to the quiet
With my eyes closed
Something strange happened
I heard the distant call of a crow–
A gentle breeze wandered through the leaves of a nearby tree–
I heard the faint cry of a child and the sound of a bouncing ball
Then a train's whistle was barely audible
And I heard the beat of my heart pounding louder and louder
Yes, in the quiet of my courtyard
The sounds became deafening!
Sometimes it is so quiet you cannot hear a thing
And sometimes it is so quiet you hear everything
Bio
My name is Theodore M. Wandzilak, and I am an Ophthalmologist in Louisville , Ky. I was a chemistry major in college and took a "Beat Poetry" course as a diversion from my major 40 years ago. I have been hooked on free form and prose poetry ever since. City Lights Bookstore in San Francisco has become one of my favorite haunts.