Before She Spoke

She leaned on the window (light on her skin) I saw her reflection (before she came in) The city kept moving (but I stood still) She didn’t speak (but I felt the spill) The lights changed (so did I) Her shadow curved (against the sky) Before she spoke (I knew the sound) A velvet noise (that wraps around) Before she spoke (I heard her breath) A silent chord (that shook my chest) Her coat caught the lamplight (just like a screen) I walked through her silence (like some old dream) I tasted the waiting (in every glance) She moved like music (but never danced) She said nothing (but took the air) She wasn’t there (but she was there) Before she spoke (I lost the game) She knew my voice (before my name) Before she spoke (I held the thread) I knew the cut (before it bled) And maybe I dreamed her (or maybe she stayed) Just long enough (to let me fade) Before she spoke (I felt the shift) The world grew still (then slipped, then drift) Before she spoke (I wrote her face) Inside a pause (inside that place) (She hadn’t said a word.) (But I had nothing left to say.)