Submitted by Ken Gierke
The house is quiet,
offspring gone
to cover the many miles
I’ve come to know
so well, my visits
more frequent than theirs.
The miles no less
and traveled less,
it seems these days.
Distance is not the distance
I knew a generation ago,
the connections of ones
and zeros erasing the miles
faster than any envelope
or phone line. It lingers,
the emptiness I feel,
while my heart knows
a fullness that came
when I answered
the call of another
across the same distance
that creates the lingering
silence of separation
in this departure.
About the Poet
Ken Gierke started writing poetry in his forties, but found new focus when he retired. It also gave him new perspectives, which come out in his poetry, primarily in free verse and haiku. His work has appeared at Ekphrastic Review and Tuck Magazine. You can find his website here.
Painting: Sun in an Empty Room – Edward Hopper
Vita Brevis Press. 
Once again, Brian, thank your for providing a home for my poetry.
Such a good poem about loss. The words resonate. 🙏🏻
Thank you.
The painting is an excellent choice to accompany this, Brian – the room empty, yet graced with sunlight.
Beautiful poem, Ken–that lingering silence– and yes, the Hopper painting is perfect to go with it.
What a powerful, moving poem.
Thank you. 🙂
This is a wonderfully powerful piece of your poetic magic Ken. I related to it at the first stanza. My son had flown from Orlando for a short visit last Thursday and flew back yesterday. I miss him already.
Thank you, Walt. That feeling tells you the value of those visits.
Voices and bodies vanish when visits are over – but the energies hang around, haunting whoever is left (now alone) in the space. This is a beautiful expression of silence as catalyst.
Thank you, Jazz. It is, isn’t it? Those moments when we’re left to reflect help us discover more about ourselves.
The empty spaces do linger. Our hearts will always be pulled in many directions.
Hopper embodies those feelings in all his work. (K)
All we can do is follow as it leads.