Chana Bloch: Fortress

.

Silence is a strenuous language

but we have chosen it.

A shut door, a shrug,

stone upon stone.

.

The stones have a history.

They were pulled from the rubble

of an earlier weekend

when words were still in use.

.

After each skirmish we retreat

to warm ourselves at a silence.

And still it’s cold.

Let the cold be our comfort!

.

This is the house that rancor built.

We live in fear.

A single word

could topple the walls.

—

Copyright 2015 Chana Bloch. From Swimming in the Rain: New and Selected Poems by Chana Bloch, published by Autumn House Press.