You were leaning against the doorframe
saying nothing
Which was your answer to the question about
permanence. I knew what it meant

My father was standing on the back porch in the rain
Smoking his cheap cigars
And not speaking at all
Which was his response to my questions about lab results
I knew what that meant, also

Years of talking to people who don't talk
Can teach you quite a bit
If you can listen to the quiet, in the right way

I was talking to the ceiling this morning
Listening to snowplows-outside
with the whirl of the furnace-inside

I asked it if perhaps I need to move to a warmer place

I am going to take that as a yes.