No voice to speak; no ear to hear:
“Come to breakfast,”
“I love you a bushel and a peck.”
“Dessert is for kids who eat their peas.”
“Is your homework done?”
“Sleep tight. Don’t let the bedbugs bite.”

Walls that witnessed life and love stand mute,
Well-used doors hang motionless,
Shades are drawn, the light is dim.
The fading echoes of silence fill the house
With nothing—and with everything.