She and I returned home
from the annual family vacation
on Saturday at 10:49 am,
a time too soon for lunch,
too late for breakfast,
and so, we sat,
her on the leather chair, and I
spread widely across the couch.
And for the next hour
we enjoyed the silence
our house is known for,
for better or worse,
depending on who you might have asked
if you were with us at the beach,
and whether or not you’d be heard
amidst the chaos of crying children
and the parents too tired to talk.

Nick Gaffney

Photo by Nathan Dumlao on Unsplash