bridge over silent waters

I'm forty six
and only just learning
to speak,
so bear with me,
if you can.

watch me like a toddler
who's suddenly found
her voice
and what it does
in her world,

listen to me if you can,
listen to this world
of dark silence,
where I belong,
from where I come

into your world;
teach me the ways
of this world,
so I can learn to speak
and sing with you,

feel this new voice
with its stutters, trembles
clammy silences,
explosions,
cuts and stabs,

a voice that demands
what it knows is possible,
a voice that yearns
to build a bridge of love
over silent waters.