After the Shift
Before the silence
I’ve learned to pay attention to small shifts.
Not the arguments.
Not the obvious ruptures.
The quieter moments.
A comment that lands oddly.
A line crossed without apology.
Nothing that requires a response.
Just enough to register.
That’s usually where things decide themselves.
// Scorpio Veil
I think think is how integrity is formed.
Great poem!
Subtle, succinct and intuitively locked on target: a "Veil Pfiel", if you will, liberally borrowing from Deutschsprache. In former years as a junior birdman, we called the core of this process 'situational awareness', the be-all and end-all of any cockpit experience: "See and be seen" before something unexpected and unpleasant grabs your nether extremity at terminal velocity. More allegorically put, the first hint of spring is not the sight of cherry blossoms blooming but rather the nuanced redolence of a faint scent upon the breeze. Enjoyed this one, speaking as a founding member of the Bad Pote (sic) Society of Sacramento and a frequent availer of homophones. Kudos.