Maybe he was listening for an impending storm
maybe it was for a train whistle
it could be he wanted to anticipate wind shifts
I would ask if I could help, but he would say:

SHHH!

He said he was waiting for a sign,
he said he would know it if he saw it.
I read a book about hypervigilance
but he said he had read it already--twice.

He mood changed like a radio on search,
like a remote, when the dog steps on it
first pacing around the house, antsy
then brooding, staring out the window
waiting
I'm not waiting for him anymore and I know he isn't listening for me anymore
either.

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