-- Kinds of Silence --

John Herlihy

Pure silence we all realize,

As sheer absence of sound.

Silence teaches us otherwise,

Many kinds of silence abound.

Silence an eternal lode

At home in outer space.

The stars speak in code,

In that mysterious place.

Absolute silence,

There in falling snow.

Not a breath, not a whisper,

Surely a silence with halo.

Sacred silence,

Felt in the heart sincere.

At home in the soul,

An aura held most dear.

Holy silence,

There in the church nave.

Floating as incense smoke,

Rising wave upon wave.

Dumb silence,

Found In lack of words.

Pure auditory solitude,

In repose with sleeping birds.

Broken silence,

Not true silence at all.

the sigh of the wind,

holds us more in thrall.

Dawn silence,

Night escapes in disarray.

The started fawn in compliance,

When silence has so much to say.

Night silence,

Darkness utters a prayer.

Night cries feel chilling,

Some animal in despair.

Stone silence,

Casts a mysterious spell.

Ancient mountains endure,

Never their secret to tell.

Peaceful silence,

The hush of falling snow.

Creating a wonderland,

Only winter can bestow.

Human silence,

No need for any word.

Neither truth, nor falsehood,

Only the silence heard.

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Copyright © John Herlihy

Monday 21 June 2021