Sat in the living room

Lit by the dim yellow hue of the side table lamp

The hum of the radio in the back 

We sit on the cold leather couch 

Waiting to be warmed by our skin 

No one moves

No one talks 

Sat there waiting for the call 

We all know is coming 

We sit there in silence while tension rises 

I readjust 

My bones ache and the couch creaks 

There for an eternity 

But really only minutes 

The phone rings 

I can't tell if its in my head or real

But everyone else looks that way so I must be sane 

It rings again, no one moves 

The third ring and someone scrambles to the phone 

Answer with an anxious hello 

For years 

We hear nothing but silence 

“Thank you”

The call ends 

No one speaks 

No one dare let out a breath 

Nothing but silence

They are gone

We all know it 

They aren't coming back 

They have taken their last breath