Tapping

Shhh... Be quiet.
Can you hear that soft tapping?
No, not the clock ticking.
Softer. Just above the buzz of the electricty.
Listen!
tap...tap...
There,
that sound that slips into the silence
between one breath and the next.
You heard it
didn't you?
I know you did, I saw you flinch.
tap...tap...tap...
What do you think that is?
It's not from the darkened window,
I looked out there for five minutes straight
and in the nothingness
the tapping kept going.
It isn't the pipes either.
There's no rattle.
tap. tap. tap.
It wasn't there when we went to bed.
And before that, I checked the doors
locked the windows, emptied the dryer-
wait...did you leave the closet door ajar like that?
Tap.