What is silence?
Silence is the rare double rainbow
    after the thunderstorm.
And the tranquility of a lily pond
    where tadpoles dwell.
Silence is the delicate blue dragonfly
    as it swiftly alights on a cattail.
Or the serenity of the bright night sky
    filled with billions of twinkling stars.
It's the dewy grass on early summer morns
    that cools and playfully tickles bare feet.

​

What is silence?
A book lies silent before you read it.
    a song before you sing it,
    a  poem before you even write it.
A baby is silent too, when sound asleep
    in the wee hours of the peaceful dawn.
When children are suddenly silent,
    wise parents come running to see just what's up.
My cat is absolutely silent while watching
    a ladybug crawl up the screendoor,
    then, with haunches rhythmically thumping,
    she pounces. Got it!
So too, the old grandfather clock,
    long standing guard in the hallway,
    is relatively silent just before its hourly chime.

What is silence?
The last red maple leaf as it releases its  grip
    and falls to the ground on the same still Autumn day
    that sees the first delicate snowflake drift down.
It is the slow melting of snowdrifts
    in the warmth of an early Spring day.
Silence observes the first crocus of the season
    emerge from Winter's sheltering grasp.
What is silence?
Silence is the hush that falls over
    the crowd when a tragedy occurs.
Opportunity is silent when it enters our lives.
How we handle each opportunity can make our lives
     overpowering and vulgar,
     or tragic and distressing,
     or rich and fulfilling,
     or gentle and sweet.

What is silence?
Silence is also the suppression of freedoms,
    the muzzle of divergent voices,
    by dictators around the world.
Silence is the loud roar of the many
    when they stay home on election day.
Silence is the wrong done when
    we close our eyes to the suffering among us.
Silence is often a lack
    of noticing,
    of seeing,
    of caring,
    of taking action
when we are aware of injustice.