Stories & Soliloquies

By Michelle Joelle

There was a sound.

The cat perked up his ears,
And the birds took off in flight.
It may have been something mundane,
Or exciting, like a bump in the night.

This sound you see, but do not hear.
It was something quiet, however near.
But nevertheless, the evidence suggests:
There clearly was a sound.

For the dog began to smell the air,
And the chipmunk ran and hid,
And even the mouse, in the wall of the house,
Stopped still right where it lived.

It’s not a sound you’d notice
As you walk around the room.
Or barely even recognize,
if it were pointed out to you.

But it made the deer stop short in its tracks,
And the fox cut short his sigh.
The turtle retracted its head, legs, and tail.
And the squirrel looked up to the sky.

So try to listen, and shut your eyes tight
Hold as still as you do when you sleep.
Listen to the beat of your heart,
And your breathing, slow and deep.