The Silence

The moment
between my question
and your answer
tells all I need to know.

Your hesitation,
the sharp intake of your breath,
sucks my heart out
between the bars
of its cage.

The look
that slowly stretches
across your face
splits open my chest,
to release it from its prison,
still beating.

You have set me free,
but I die, waiting for the only words
that could stitch me
back together.