To catch a sound

I wrote this poem in an attempt to find stillness and peace in a space that was filled with too many things, a chaos created by a busy week when I barely had any time for myself. For a moment, I felt trapped in a place that I didn’t recognise and didn’t feel at home. This poem is about the spaces we miss and what makes a home not feel like a trap.

To catch a sound
That travels from wall to wall
A shadow that darkens the corners
Leaving you the middle space
Exposed, surrounded by dust and bread,
You must do the things you don't like.
You fill the space with flower pots
Pillows and books, bin bags and glasses
As the sound whispers
Catch me if you can
A childish dare you used to play,
In the snow, the water surrounding
The city, frozen but never still
Trains passing by, exhausted
Bags with food and jars and wine
Descending from city to city
Where the sound is loud
Flooding your ears and mouth
As you hide under the music
Another type of sound that
Swallows your house now
Wishing for it to hold you,
To make the cold go away
To put a smile on your lips,
To whisper all the good things
But as the sound starts flowing
A pale blue cloud surrounds you
Covering the plant pots, the pillows
The trap you made to catch a sound
Only to be caught in a cage
That was built for you.

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