the listener Laura Theis her magic was so gentle you may not have known itfor a spell
the way she was able to listen so openlythat we were each coaxed into speaking our language
the fiddle began to talk of the willow tree it had beenhow it had feasted on light and liquid
how it had swayed and creaked in the wind like a door to another realm
the piano confessed how its beauty was forged from the killing of a playful giant who had loved his life of mischief and joy
while the rain outside sang along in the dangerous language of watera complicated grammar of clouds and dropletsstillness and rush
even the silence afterwards surprised itselffor the first timein the mirror of her quiet attention
and bowed like a secret wordthat had suddenly understood its own significance

More from Laura ↓

• @wodehouse_and_i on Instagram
• Her book, Introduction to Cloud Care, is available now
• Her children’s poetry book, Poems from a Witch’s Pocket, is available now

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