I never thought I would fall in love with silence

I thought she was oppressive,

A closed window,

A wall with no art,

Judgmental,

A haunted amplifier of thoughts I wanted to forget

I was scared of her

Avoided her by doing homework in the kitchen,

Sticking to roommates,

Filling my mind with any toxic rag that would stifle sound

But when I finally had to live alone

There were moments when silence started to comfort me

Like retreating to your bedroom and closing the door when a party is still going

Or like leaving an unwashed dish

Or blasting your favorite song

So I asked her on a date

And in the forced pause of the crowded airport bar

We fell in love

When we first started dating

I felt I had to always fill her

Like a full water glass in a restaurant

Becaude she breathes loudly

And the static hurt my ears

But she was patient

So I as I got more comfortable with her

I asked her to dance

Twirling her to to a beat with no sound

And eventually

I loved the way she moved

I loved the way she made me exhale

And the way she asked nothing of me

As long as I asked nothing of myself in return

So now I let her take the lead

She cooks for me

Watches TV with me

Cuddles up in bed with me

And I’m happy

Falling for her was surprisingly easy

She wove me a blanket

She comforts me

Stifles me

And loves me

Her freedom fills the void I was afraid of

And now her empty

Feels like home