checkmarks and things like silence

That [was] the moment that matter[ed].
That [was] it.
That was the one that lead to this.
My defining moment.

O, I can remember it.
The short Greek man demanding answers
As he went to go press STOP and REWIND and PAUSE.
And I was silenced.
Infuriated by those mouths that broke down the logistics.
This is more real than reason and theory.
This is real. Those are lives.
Can we settle down with our entitlement for one second,
To commune with those bare feet?
Can't we please be shocked by this?
Silenced.

But I do remember another,
Sitting on a bench under a willow tree.
And he was staring off into a place he understood.
Into the place he was going.
And I. I know I felt the place there with him.
It was the first time I ever listened.
And I couldn't remember anything.
This was the only moment that existed.
Because I suddenly had tunnel-vision for him,
And whatever he was telling me.
I only know that I was listening.
And saying nothing back.
Silenced.

Then to go on.
Dressed in white and listening again.
To a different sound.
Even more silent than before.
Me and the voice I heard.
Both of us--Silent.
Silent and feeling.
And dripping with importance.

Each moment to another.
All defining who I became.
What were the moments I missed?
...Almost all of them.
Who am I becoming?
I am becoming something. Let me tell you.
This [is] the moment that matter[s].
All of them do.
This [is] it.
My defining moment.