Silent places, I have been known to roam;
I step carefully through the wilderness, as if on loan.
When I look across the vast expanse of the sea,
It only seems to be waiting patiently for me.
When I stare up beyond the mountain peak,
It is not the stars in the heavens that I seek..
Silent places represent the mystery of hallowed ground;
I am completely alone with no one else around.
The mystery draws close like a welcoming hand,
Then invades my fervent heart as if to take a stand.
The placid ocean is silent, but can also roar;
The mountains extend their reach and upward soar.
The secret gliding of rivers through rugged terrain
Take no notice of the openness of the nearby plain.
Sometimes, I stumble into silent places within;
Loneliness blows a trumpet to summon chagrin.
North of the aurora, beyond the North Star,
A sudden shaft of light, near in that distant far.
Silent places contain the presence of a magnitude,
That far outweighs the loneliness of their solitude.
The starry night shines down upon us as if in gratitude,
For having the wherewithal to bestow its plenitude.
Beyond the black velvet band of the imagination
Lay the silent places of God’s sublime creation .
The wilderness contains a presence inimical and wise;
The human spirit is humbled by the wild in gentle guise.
The eye becomes keen, the mind becomes patient;
We humans absorb the heart of the wildness most ancient.
The silent places touch the essence of who we are;
The silence consoles the human spirit not with fear, but awe.
The moon that shines down upon earth is totally mute;
The light it sheds on silent places seems uniquely astute.
When we move on, we leave their mystery behind,
And fall back into the routine more familiar and kind.
The silent places get entangled with early morning mists;
The white breath of winter a harsh reality in our midst.
Memories once clear and sharp against the plate of night
Vanished once again into the silent places out of sight.
Now gone, gone again, into the vast mystery of revelation
Silent places keep peace in the depths of God’s creation.
What is so interesting is that those silent places are often teeming with life communicating on a plane that we can no longer sense. And, even a solitary person encroaching on a wilderness will alert all the creatures who will go into hiding and keep silent until the danger posed by us leaves.
I have often been in those solitary, lonely and pristine places. While they sometimes cause sadness in me for not having a companion along, they sometimes, like you wrote, seem to enhance all my senses, as though I were hunting 50,000 years ago in the same place with only rudimentary tools to ensure that I would find or kill something to eat before I starved.
grandiosely in manner and soulfully in matter. Such an inspired message is an infrequent piece on the Internet. Bravo! But 'I step carefully through the wilderness, as if on loan' and 'beyond the black velvet band of the imagination' are specially filled up with insightful findings. Cheers, alex
I embrace the words to this wonderful poem, John, and I too have traveled the land looking for something, I knew not what. I felt loneliness within my heart. I envy you this write. You have tasted a much different kind of wanderlust than I have. Excellent poem.
Solitude enables us to indulge all of our senses to better appreciate our surroundings. In doing so, solitude transcends loneliness. We attain peace of mind and a better perspective on what may be vexing or perplexing us otherwise.
A further collection of poems, many from years in the Middle East, but also the California San Francisco and Central Coast areas (Santa Cruz, Carmel, Big Sur, Berkeley, etc.).
Dear readers, this is my third book of poems, and inside are a special collection of what have turned out to be not only MY personal favorites, but also the favorites of many of YOU. Some of these have never been available in print before...
Perhaps "..Quiet Storm" will help rekindle old flames buried and long forgotten or express the love so deeply locked inside of your soul longing to be released.
Regardless of where you may be found in love this beautiful masterpiece can be
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I have often been in those solitary, lonely and pristine places. While they sometimes cause sadness in me for not having a companion along, they sometimes, like you wrote, seem to enhance all my senses, as though I were hunting 50,000 years ago in the same place with only rudimentary tools to ensure that I would find or kill something to eat before I starved.
Ron
That far outweighs the loneliness of their solitude."
Profound words, John!!! The silence can be so deafening at times indeed!
Love ya!
Jane
A beautiful poem!