The Beauty of Silence

I left social media in July 2020. I wrote the following poem in December 2021. Now, as I reluctantly debate (with myself) returning to the social platforms “for the sake of business networking,” I feel inclined to re-visit this poem and why I wrote it.

I think sometimes our longing to be heard leads us away from the very thing we need in order to know what we’re trying to say.

That’s a convoluted way of saying I think we (I) need more silence in our lives (my life). And more (re)connection with the natural world. I don’t think social media is a particularly good place for someone who thinks this way (me). And so the debate continues: to return to social media, or not to return… (a topic for an essay all its own).

The Beauty of Silence

When the voices we once longed to hear
in the midst of raging storms
now in the depths of great despair lay silent,
do not judge them for their lack of bold and hopeful advice.

Be open to silence,
for silence, too, is bold, 
though not always hopeful.

Silence waits for us 
to have the courage 
to let it show us who we are.

Still yourself against the noise and 
chaos of the world. The sky is blue and 
the midday sun illuminates all that it touches.

Even you.

You do not need permission to see 
the golden soapberries
glowing bright and translucent.

You do not need permission to listen 
to the fallen leaves rustle beneath 
the feet of mourning doves.

To see the small things that offer such beauty,
to hear the soft sounds that reverberate with life,
this, too, is courage. 

This, too, is bold.
This, too, will show you the way forward
through the darkness.

Lean into the wild,
into the ancient wisdom of the natural world 
as it goes about its old, old ways.

Touch the roots that are yours
as much as they are the trees.
Call them by name, and they will ground you
to this one and only Home.