Solace of Silence

Solace of Silence

Silence.

Quiet.

Calm.

To where have they gone?

Though we long, we yearn... we scream for them,

Instead we’re encased

in this cacophony of

DRIP! DRIP! DROP!

CLICK! CLICK! CLACK!

CLING! KINK! CLANG!

Bustling, hustling and jostling around us.

A swarm, a tempest, a tsunamic wave

Crashes upon our ears,

Splinters our thoughts,

Corrodes our concentration,

And attacks our minds.

Where is the peace

Of a cool summer breeze?

Where is the serenity

Of a mountain lake?

Where is the mute

Solace of silence

That brings lucidity, clarity, and health to our souls?

It is not to be found, my friend,

On the lofty peaks of the Rockies,

In the deep valleys of Appalachia;

Neither in the trees of the Amazon,

Nor in the waters of Lake Victoria,

No, no, it cannot be found there

For even there the tranquility will end

Even there Noise will intrude,

For our lack is within us,

Though our desire without,

And that need of calmness only One can fill:

The One who still cries out

“Be still!”

And bids these waves of clamor subside

-Nathan C. Matthews