By the Hundreds

By Robert Martin

PROMPT — The way I see it ...

“It seems to me,” the man began—

leaning into the air

as if the sky itself had leaned in to listen.

And then—

the torrent.

Words by the hundreds,

perhaps the thousands,

poured like loose nails from a split crate,

clanging in the dust.

I caught a few,

turned them in my hands

like foreign coins,

searching for a face I knew,

a year,

a country of origin.

But each one

was blank,

shiny with conviction,

empty as the wind.

Still he spoke,

stacking syllables on syllables,

a tower with no windows,

no doors—

and I,

trapped outside,

listened

because silence

is a harder thing to hold.

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Robert Martin, a native of Denver, Colorado, began writing as a form of therapy after retiring from a long career in printing and publishing. Following his doctor’s advice to keep his mind sharp, Robert turned his lifelong love for reading into a passion for writing. He now channels his creativity into crafting stories of different genres, facing and overcoming the challenges of procrastination and reader reception anxiety. In his free time, Robert and his wife enjoy traveling with their two dogs in their 5th-wheel trailer, exploring new places, and finding inspiration for new stories. Whether on the road or at home, Robert enjoys the written word, sharing his experiences and imagination with readers. More at: dreamingauthor.com/