alone in a house. in the night.
shadows on a wall. on the move.
silence. listening to silence

to avoid the silence turn on the music the song
the song over and over and over

to avoid the shadows turn on the tv the
light the candles the night

to avoid the loneliness
to avoid a void
play

play with motions with the flickers of the flame
with the sound of syllables scattered in sentences

yet you are alone.
alone in this house in this night.

you will be alone, tomorrow night.
you will be alone, the night after tomorrow night.
and the next. and the next.

the house. it has so many doors, so many windows
opening to the outside, letting the light in
the wind, the echoes.

the window in front of you, it is flickering while you type this.
it's the wind touching it.
wind on window.

is that where the word is coming from?

wind. it is the same in German.
der Wind. the wind.
Wind and wind.

not many words that stay the very same.
roses do. eine Rose. a rose.
it even is a rose in France. la rose.

a rose is a rose is a rose.

maybe that is what she meant, after all. Gertrude Stein.

Stein. stone.
lang. long.
Kuss. kiss.
Wort. word.
Ozean. ocean.

change a letter
change the language.

sometimes you try to imagine
what would happen
if you were alone in a house
for a whole month.

just you the house and pencils and paper.
maybe you have to try it
one day

© 2004 - Dorothee Lang