Silent Courtship
by cricketjeff on February 1, 2011. © Jeff Green, All rights reserved
Across the busy office she can see him every day
Surrounded by computer screens and friends
But when she bumps into him she can’t find the words to say,
She mumbles, then she stutters and pretends.
Inside her mind it’s different; she is trapped inside a box
And doesn’t need to speak to say a word.
The world of sound unravels, she can disregard the locks
That keep her feeling broken and absurd.
He’s seen her face each morning since she started at the firm,
A secret smile and then she hides her face,
And when he tries to meet her she turns red and starts to squirm,
How can he know if she’d enjoy the chase.
When he’s dreaming he can see her open doors that don’t exist,
In dreams she doesn’t see the need to speak.
Her actions never stumble so she blows away the mist
And takes his arm to scramble to the peak.
Her friends have seen her struggles and they whisper in a group,
But she just sits and sighs across the room.
He offers her a coffee and her heart flies in a loop
But her confidence stays rooted to a tomb.
Why can’t she be performing with a case she cannot move,
A wordless play that’s easy to perform,
It’s words that tie her spirit to a fate that won’t improve,
A helpless yacht dismasted by a storm.
He sees the way she’s gazing so he acts a cup of tea,
She smiles and nods acceptance from afar.
“Two sugars?” “Yes, and milk please”, all are spoken silently;
Then “six o’clock and cocktails at the bar?”
The moment when the pierrot finds acceptance in his act
Can change the mood for everyone around.
They meet where talk’s unheard of and the empty space is packed
The uproar keeps her standing on the ground.
Her eyes are keen to whisper while his hands say everything,
Too shy to speak but not afraid to act,
But can a wordless romance lead a princess to her king
And prove the rule that opposites attract?
Author notes
Prompt: Mime
English