We have all learned to hear
silence these years, but the quiet
that beats within is ours alone,
mine from yours, yours from mine.
The silence of each place
is different. You might locate
yourself by listening for how
the earth pulses beneath your feet.
From Days of Grace and Silence: A Chronicle of COVID’s Long Haul (Kelsay Books, 2024). Copyright © 2024 by Ann E. Wallace. Reprinted with the permission of the poet.