-- Seeing Silence --

John Herlihy

We know what silence sounds like,

Sounds like nothing, nothing at all.

We know not what silence looks like,

A fantasy that holds us in its thrall.

The peace of falling snow,

Not a word, not a hush, not a breath.

A wind that doesn’t blow,

A stillness with length and breadth.

Clouds on the move,

Gathering to rest in repose.

Stars with nothing to prove,

Whispering mysteries everyone knows.

The froth of a cresting wave,

As its silent forces amass.

In the quiet of a church nave,

The glowing light of stained glass.

The silence of invisible air,

Promise in a poem ‘s empty lines.

The night as silent prayer,

Heard amid whispering pines.

Open the inner eye and you will see,

All the silence within you and me.

- - - - - -

Copyright © John Herlihy

Tuesday 17 January 2021