Lie in Our Silence (poem) by John Herlihy on AuthorsDen

Lie in Our Silence
by John Herlihy → (All Poetry by John Herlihy)
Sunday, October 2, 2022 Rated "G" by the Author.

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-- The Lie in Our Silence -- John Herlihy The truth of silence harbors many beautiful things, How such absence can stir our heart until it sings. Silence of the night bathed in glorious moonlight, Eerie silence of falling snow that bring such delight. The silence of a country pond with nary a ripple, The silence of a floating swan that our hearts tickle. The silence of the forest broken by notes of a lute, The silence of the spheres preserved as absolute. Yet silence can harbor secrets never ready to tell, Tantamount to being a lie with its own somber spell. Withhold a truth from a loved one they should know, Offer no support when one should praise bestow. To preserve a hatred that you cannot rightly justify, To keep silent in order to maintain an aura to mystify. Silence protects a lie in the calmness before the storm, Autumn cheated by Indian Summer pretending to be warm. The lie in our silence in the end does a truth convey, To reveal a confidence would our own secret betray. - - - - - Copyright © John Herlihy Tuesday 20 September 2022

Reviewed by Jms Bell

Reviewed on November 22, 2022

WHAT A RIVETING WORK, JOHN. INDEED...IN THIS ENTIRE WORLD THERE ARE SO MANY LIES THAT REMAIN IN SO MANY SILENCES, WHICH WILL ONLY BE REVEALED WHEN...ALL THINGS HIDDEN SHALL COME TO LIGHT. AMEN. ENJOYED. LOVE, BLESSINGS AND FAITH...HIS+INSPIRATIONS

Reviewed by Ronald Hull

Reviewed on October 4, 2022

Some interesting views of silence. Have you ever noticed that when a predator, like a man enters a bustling, noisy forest, it suddenly goes silent?

Near the end of your poem, you refer to the silence that Paul Simon wrote so long ago about but is still very appropriate� The Sound of Silence. There is a huge silent group of people in this country who do not speak out when their leaders are doing wrong. They just obediently follow and keep silent. The Russian people are doing the same. The young men are expressing their disagreement, not by loud protest, but by silently leaving the country rather than become drafted into the Russian army.

Ron

Reviewed by audrine max

Reviewed on October 3, 2022

once again, profound piece. i most especially loved the last two lines. thank you for this, John.

Reviewed by JoAnne Cromp (Reader)

Reviewed on October 2, 2022

Your a profoundly deep thinker John with comforting thoughts of the quiet void

Reviewed by Odin odin@aflx.com

Your rather thorough exploration here of silence made me wonder what the universe would sound like were we able to hear the passing of time via the sometimes silent, sometimes raucous nature of colliding stars and space debris. Might the universe be in all respects the noisiest place in, well... the universe? Thinking twice about it, and rereading your poem, I think there's definitely a reason we're wired to hear the sound of our sentient abilities during silent focus. Perhaps that is the only mode of consciousness we might conjure up the sounds I cite here. I, for one, use silence to get in touch with so many noisy aspects of my life, have a telepathic, if you will, conversation, and try and sort things out. Trouble is, as I get older, there's a lot more to sort out.