In praise of silence
a poem
I love the silence. Silence between two people, Who have no need for endless words, At ease with one another.
I love the silence.
Silence in old, dark, empty churches.
The prayers of many generations
Hang heavily upon the air.
You are not here, the poet said,
To verify, instruct yourself,
But you are here to kneel,
Where prayer’s been valid,
That is all.
I love the silence.
Silence in Meeting, when we sit together.
Again the air is heavy, concentrated.
Someone may speak, just once, out of that silence.
But here we do not kneel in prayer.
There are no gestures to reveal
Our reverence for the living light within.
Yet sometimes, once or twice, I’ve longed
To open out my hands, to raise my arms,
The ancient gesture of surrender,
Or receiving, of acceptance.
This poem was first published in Norwich Meeting’s journal Reflections and Queries No.17, edited by Nigel Wimhurst.
