A Time for Silence
(A statue in the herb garden of the Missouri Botanical Garden. Photo taken Summer 2014) My new apartment is quiet. I love quiet. My quiet fish Saffron swims awkwardly in his tank for a second or two before he slumps defeated onto the stones at the bottom. He is two years old, but, judging by his recent disinterest in food and inability to swim except in great bursts from obvious effort, Saffron is probably going to die soon. That sounds morbid. He has been an exemplary pet, and for a fish, has seen many sights and met many new people. I still dread his death. The clock on the wall of my new apartment is silent. One of my first nights here, I sat in the living room staring at the clock's pendulum swinging back and forth as I absorbed the feeling of this new space. I found myself wondering if I LIKED the clock, if it matched my intended decor. Normally I don't have clocks in my living space, because even though I love the pleasing design of analogue clocks, they often tick.....