The Language of Silence
By John Herlihy

The language of silence
Can enchant the turning of worlds.
The language of silence
Resembles the perfection of pearls.
The language of silence
Comes bound up in ribbons of thought.
The language of silence
Ensures that falsehood comes to naught.
The language of silence
Complements the mystery of the dark.
The language of silence
Keeps protected the secrets of the heart.
The language of silence
Speaks through the language of the eyes.
The language of silence
Makes no earthly compromise.
The language of silence
Tells no lies.
The language of silence
Utters no sighs.

The language of silence
Destroys the cacophony of sound.
The language of silence
Runs chaos and discord aground.
The language of silence
Whispers music within my inner rooms.
The language of silence
Reigns within all earthly tombs.
The language of silence
Prevents the revealing of shame.
The language of silence
Prevents us from listening to blame.
The language of silence
Seems to offer an assumed assent.
The language of silence
Makes no presumption to clear dissent.
The language of silence
Proves no innocence or guilt.
The language of silence
Contains no melodic lilt.

Listen, the language of silence
Lifts me aloft to a heightened awareness,
Into outer space where I hear no sound,
Back to the era when silence reigned supreme,
When the Divine Word was just a dream.
I hear nothing at all that I need to know,
The language of silence told me so.