And Now the World is Quieter

I got bad news while walking down Broadway on this beautiful sunny day in NYC. "Sheree passed this morning." My mother said.

"Hello?" She said.

Didn't I say, "Oh", I thought I just said, "Oh".

"Ash, are you ok?"

"Yes. Ok."

My mother said some more comforting words, in that comforting way that she says them, with a milk and honey kind of voice. She reminded me that life is precious and said she loves me tenderly. My eyes swelled with tears and my voice became shaky. But it passed. I took a breath and tried not to think about the people I've lost in the past year. How it happens suddenly, and always unfairly.

What other words can I say. Everything is hushed when they leave. Like green lights turning yellow, without a single sound.