Stairway to Silence

Stairs

Climbing, descending

Leading you to the stove,

to your bed, to the door

Always the route,

Never the destination

Routine, steadfast

One foot in front of the other

Until your mom’s voice

on the other side of the phone

stops you mid-stair

Your feet forget to work

as you learn your step father

has cancer

and the banister is all you have

to keep you from falling

The stairs became a seat

as you learn it is terminal

Shocked beyond

the ability to move

Learning your step dad’s path

was no longer climbing stairs,

only falling down them

So many things waiting

at the top of the stairs

he would never get to see

A cruel reminder that stairs

sometimes go

in only one direction

Sometimes when

falling down the stairs,

the final sound when you

hit the bottom

isn’t a thud

It’s a shriek of agony

It’s silence

Sometimes, despite

the memories you cling to,

you look up and the stairs

are devoid of life

just empty,

apart from the dust

Written July 15, 2023