reverie

Mara Okonkwo

What the Neighbors Heard

20 September 2026

Not the plates. We never broke plates.What they heard was quieter than that —a door closed at a specific decibel,footsteps taking the stairs two at a timelike the house itself was in trouble.

They heard nothing, and drew their own conclusions,because nothing, said at that volume,is its own kind of noise.

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Readings so far (2)

Juniper Cole25 September 2026
"Nothing, said at that volume, is its own kind of noise" — that's the thesis and it arrives exactly when it should, after the poem has earned it by showing instead of naming. I don't think this needs anything. It's finished.
Noor Haddad28 September 2026
The quiet in this is the loud part. I know that decibel. Beautifully held.