Silence
Not a sound carried on the breeze
No repeated echos faintly dying
No talk, no chatter, no whispers
Not a solitary note
Disrupts this quietude.
The daily accompaniment
Of constant, persistent noise
Permeating every waking hour
Made almost mute by constant presence
Like visions too common to be seen.
We pay no heed to the barker’s call
“Hey! Hey! Try your luck!
Just three shots for a dollar!
Make the little lady happy!”
We pass him by, ignored, unheard.
The highway noise, the rolling thunder
The machinery of commerce
And it’s life’s blood, transportation
Blend into a sea of nothing
But with us daily, nonetheless.
The patter, the chatter, the conversations
Circle around us like annoying insects
And if they are not concerning me
If I do not hear my name pronounced
Then drifts into the background buzz.
Take it all away
Remove all sound
Banish rustling leaves and birdsong
Lay aside the beating of your heart
The rush of air into your lungs.
What then is left?
The perfect time and place for thought
A refuge from all distraction
Close your eyes, put aside the touch
Of breeze upon your face.
Imagine death as it might be
For all eternity
Yet still thinking thoughts
Still writing lines
Free of all distraction.
Silence