Still Life

Whisper if you speak, Tiptoe if you walk. Do not take a sudden breath Or start to sing or talk. The trees are listening, The grass is still, The frogs will not croak. Speak if you will, But the moment will falter, And time will surprise, Will muffle our moment Before our eyes. The frogs will hear you And answer back; The owls will hoot at The hens in the shack. The snake will rustle Where it is hid, And katydids argue She didn’t, she did. Only this moment Will there be peace, Only this moment. Then it will cease, And time will surround us With babble and talk. Whisper if you speak, Tiptoe if you walk.