Oh you were so
quiet
I hardly heard you
tiptoe silently in
settle yourself
amongst the strings
talking to me
now in cello
now in violin
the heartbeat of a drum
the exchange of laughter
between  glockenspiel & xylophone
making a point
with either
the tiny tinkle
of a triangle
or the crash of a symbol.
I listen to you talk
to me in music
the candlelight
grows dim & then
as softly as you came
you leave
leaves
(fluttering against
the windowpane) .
I feel you leave
leave before the movement ends
footsteps
in the silence of my memory
me nearly
forgetting
that you've died
listening on
until the end
as the music
cries.