The silence in here was thick almost a shroud

The silence in here was thick, almost a shroud.

Then, a sudden, clear burst. Not gentle, not low.

A woman's high peal, sharp and loud,

drifting through the wall, a vivid glow

of sound. Then a deeper, guttural chuckle, rough

and real. They aren't trying to be quiet.

It cuts through the plaster, more than enough

to make me stop, to make my own thoughts riot.

That sound, so full, so unrestrained and free.

And then it stopped. The sudden, heavier silence

returned, like a blanket thrown over me.

That brief joy, a fleeting, stark offense

against my quiet. Just two sounds, then none.

Another day, or night, almost done.