An Ode to Silence

Quiet Storm by Fr. Nicanor F. Lalog II, 03 May 2024

How I wish I could strum and sing
like Simon and Garfunkel
saying hello and listening
to the sound of silence
that nobody hears,
nobody cares;
what a lovely commodity
now a rarity in the time of Siri,
everybody is so afraid of silence
when its loudest sound is 
less than a breath, 
feebler than a whisper.

How foolish have we become
to disregard silence
when it is the only sound
before we have all become
that is why when death comes,
in silence we shall return;
woe the Walkman that pushed us back
to the caves of our own world
enslaved by gadgets that muffle
our ears and head
from the warmth of another soul
speaking in silence.

Let us touch and be disturbed
by the sound of silence!
Listen to its wisdom and truth 
for it is not emptiness but fullness;
embrace silence, feel its warmth
to see life's vibrance in its natural sound
telling us to trust again
so we can love anew
that is most true
when words are few
because the heart is empty,
silently awaiting YOU!