Silence.
You have a sound,
That has enveloped me.
Silence.
I let you grow,
‘Til you over took thee.
Silence,
Up from the ground,
Now, you are all I can see.
Silence.
To which I feel bound,
When will you set me free?
Silence.
When will you know,
It’s time to let me be?
Silence.
You held my breath,
And took away my energy.
Silence.
You became a robe.
I let you rob my hope.
Hope.
You are a seed.
That is starting anew.
Hope.
The replacement
For where once silence grew.
Pause to Wander
With wonder,
Slowly,
Creeping,
Is it sleeping?
Sleep on it
And
Before I knew,
It grew.
Again
The four-letter word,
Fear.
Fear I would lose,
A job,
A friend,
An opportunity
A…
An…
The…
At what cost
Have I become lost?
Lost to fear?
Lost in fear?
Do you hear?
Silence
You grew.
Wait,
Then a new,
Hope.
Hope came back.
Sounds trickled,
Words long gone,
Reemerged.
Hope
Tikvah
Esperanza,
Rising.
From movies to lyrics,
From albums to CDs,
From being frightened looking at the skies, to being illuminated by the stars.
From impossible dreams to when you believe.
For just one moment to touch the sky
That one moment in my life
Where hope is longer,
Where hope is stronger
Where hope floats on high o’er vales and hills,
And beneath the trees, dances in the breeze.
And then my heart with pleasure fills,
And so much silence kindred with hope spills,
Into my heart that will lie peaceful and calm,
Onto this flicking candle,
The one I handle,
Illuminates the night,
With a spirit of light,
Of the way,
To start
Anew,
A day.
Author’s note: I started this poem a month ago when I felt silenced by the war. I gathered thoughts, made notes, felt lyrics speak to me, felt silence. It was an uncomfortable silence, not one of a winter blanket of cocoa and solitude. I stepped away. I did other things; small steps and nothings. Then, a nudge and a rush to complete it arose from a conversation in Salon 360° supported by 360° Nation, and the Friendship Bench.
A seed blossomed, a need to express what confounds me. If this poem speaks to you, there is hope. For as long as a tree stands, there is hope. As long as there is life, there is hope. And yes, in silence, there can be hope, yet for me, that silence was not birthed from solitude, it was fear. That fear is one I am taking tiny, mighty steps upon. That fear has propelled me to create a non-profit fund to bring hope-filled opportunities to others so we can chat, laugh, share experiences and expressions, and show those to others with a sense of joy and peace.
To continue on this journey with me, you may choose to wander to www.HopesCompass.org. See the Community Project, and explore what you feel is just right for you. And may each day be anew, too.
(Acknowledgement: Some fragments from songs performed by Barbra Streisand, Gloria Estefan, Safam, and in Don Quixote, The Prince of Egypt and penned by William Wordsworth, Job, and Anne Frank)
