Not Hamlet

You threatened me
So I am await.

You use silence
Like a blade
Its edge severe
Business precise.

When silence is a weapon
Every latent thing
Is imposing.

I feel you.
You have been long-coming.
Though I cannot see you
Your menace is present.
You seek to intimidate
And thereby disarm me.

But you cannot disarm one
Who is not armed.

I do not fear you.
Nor do I seek to cause you fear.
Pain is no longer my arsenal.

I do not desire to convince you
Of truths you will not accept.
I do not hope to befriend you
Though you will never
Be my enemy.

To defeat me
You will have to appear before me.
You’d rather not.

In the end
Your reticence
Will defeat you
And I will have done nothing
To contribute to your fall.

You will perish
By the poisoned blade
I did not wield.

When this drama is concluded
I will be the one
To draw the curtain.

But you are not Hamlet.
You are not a fallen warrior
And noble arms will not bear you away.