On Silence

Silence Is the Absence of Sound
By Margarita Diaz

I hear a lot of noise
About what’s said with the unsaid.
Let’s not agree or disagree,
But just think about it instead.

Sometimes quiet is a pause.
Other times it makes us wonder.
When we need to hear support
All that quiet can feel like thunder.

But do we really know
What’s behind the missing sound?
Or might we be assuming,
When it’s our expectations that abound.

In case you haven’t met them,
I’ll share some sides of silence.
From the ones that fill your heart with peace
To the ones that make you tense.

Silence is love that needs no words.
Silence is thinking on what we heard.
Silence is a peaceful heart.
Silence is not knowing where to start.

Have you traveled near or far?
Silence differs here from there.
And if you bring your silence here,
I may meet your silence with despair.

Silence is a turn waiting to be taken.
Silence is a feeling of forsaken.
Just as a “6” may look like a “9,”
Silence may, or may not, feel fine.

You see differences aren’t just WHAT we see
But HOW we look at you and me.
We bring our baggage on the trip,
But unpacking it is a step we often skip.

Silence is a voice afraid to speak.
Silence is a past struggling to breathe.
Silence is the weight of countless “shoulds.”
Silence is just one too many . . . misunderstoods.

So please, let’s stop assuming about silence!
But rather consider it with thought and context.
Silence is not golden. Silence is not violence.
If you haven’t even taken time to check.

And before you hunt the Wicked Witch,
Look to find the man behind the curtain.
For silence is the absence of sound.
And that’s all we really know for certain.