Capturing Silence

I caught silence once.

I put her in an old marmalade jar.

Then I sat on a stool

and stared at her for a very long time—

hours, maybe, or minutes.

She was naked

and had her back to me.

My desire for her was pure

and I stared.

Then I got up

and tried to get her out of the jar

to hold her in my hand.

I touched the glass

and found that it was white hot.

I ignored the pain though,

and snatched her out of the now-melting jar.

But then she immediately imploded

in my fingers.

Then I realized that I’d only stared at her

for a matter of seconds

and I wept bitterly.