It is but a man

who can tolerate

a comfortable silence.

A necessary silence

to take in the sights,

to finish chewing the chicken,

to pay respects to grandmoms.

A silence between

the brand of tobacco he prefers

and how it felt to be the teacher's kid.

Not a long silence,

not a quiet silence,

but a gentle lull in the conversation

to allow for body language,

and waves crashing on rocks,

and disapproving waiters bringing back our cards.

It is but a man

who can tolerate

a comfortable silence.

Not a boy

who sees the need

to fill it up with random trivia

about Air India employees.

And I don't even mind random trivia,

it's just the fact

that you feel it's needed

when I would have enjoyed a lull.

It's the fact

that when I respond

with my share

of barely researched GK,

you seem to dismiss it

as unimportant.

Sigh, it's the lulls

that give us time to process,

help us recalibrate,

give us opportunity

to start a new thread.

It's the lulls

where I evaluate

if this is safe,

if this is appropriate,

if this is what I want.

In these comfortable silences,

I breathe,

I am myself,

and you get to see that.