The Paradox of Silence

John Herlihy

When we listen to silence,

We think we know what it means.

A paradox lies within silence,

The hush may not be what it seems.

Silence can represent stillness,

Drawn from the vault of quietude.

Notable waves of peacefulness,

Characterizes its sense of solitude.

We partake of silence for free,

Costs us nothing to be there.

With nothing to hear, nothing to see,

We open our ears and simply stare.

Silence can appear to be soft,

Content as if being held aloft.

Silence can appear to be loud,

As if in the middle of a crowd.

Silence characterized by emptiness,

Feeling abandoned, no one around.

Silence characterized by fullness,

Echoing as if pretending to be sound.

The silence of a flickering candle,

The silence noted in winter snow.

Silence a door with a golden handle,

Ready to be opened, hearts aglow.

Wind finds voice in a windchime,

Silence never questions its mystery.

Speech speaks eloquently of time,

Silence speaks eloquently of eternity.

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Copyright © John Herlihy

Sunday 6 April 2025