I once knew a girl

That thought in capitals

And sleepily spoke in lower case

And if you ever asked her

To divulge her life’s story

She would stare back blankly

And reply in the form of a space

Or she would veil her face

Behind a barrier of digits

And her breath would be cut short,

Her words divided by hyphens

Or with a flutter of the heart,

She’d avert her eyes, flustered

But when I find myself

Gazing at her face

Laden with troubles

I see hiding in her eyes

Exclamation points

That bounce in the light

That crave for the surface

I see curiosity, questions

Eddying around her lips

With each cautious semblance

Of a smile

I see the desire to be a run-on

To stream her consciousness

To be a comma in a sea of periods

Because a period signals a full stop

But she wants to linger on

I once knew a girl

That thought in capitals

And sleepily spoke in lower case

And if I had to encompass her

In a single word crafted of perfection

It would be an impossible feat

Because she’s so much more

Than one word

To her, her life’s story

Is composed of nothing but spaces

But to me, it’s the most breathtaking

Silence