The DPL would like to take this time to read you your rights- you have the write to remain silent. It’s okay. Don’t put your hands behind your back. You won’t be arrested, put in the back of a police car for having nothing to say. Sometimes there is nothing to say. We are at a loss for words either to write, speak or both. We have a right to be silent. Silence is golden. Silence can be quiet or it can seem so unbearably loud.
The mind working overtime.
Loud because of those many thoughts running through our minds. Perhaps that’s why some of us are afraid of being silent for too long. We rather stay busy because if we stay still and be silent; we might get carjacked by some of those not so good memories we’d rather forget. So when they do pop up, and it’s bound to happen, we need to lock all of our doors. We meet them where they are. We deal with them but we don’t give them the keys to the car so that they can joy ride in it. It’s not theirs-they don’t own it and they don’t own us.
Poets need the sound of silence. We have the right to be silent, and a write to remain silent for as long as we need in order to allow time for silence to write us. Silence is a poet’s natural element. It can give power to what is written or spoken. It can give pause to the reader or listener to allow time for the words to incubate and fulfill their mission. Line breaks and stanza breaks make room for silence.
At a Poetry Reading (Is silence golden?)
A poet demonstrated the power of silence when she shared her last poem of the evening. It was titled, ‘All There is to say About Nothing,’ She stood there looking at the page, occasionally glancing up at the audience, then looking back down at the page. We waited with anticipation like little children. Moments passed by and she still said nothing. You could see people nervously moving in their seats wondering what was going on, wondering when she was going to speak. The silence lingered like the fragrance of apple blossoms.
That’s the sound of silence.
Then she simply said…thank you. The place erupted with applause. People stood to their feet. A very clever demonstration of the usage of silence. After the poetry reading she explained that she wasn’t sure if it was the longest or shortest poem she never did write. The irony of it all is, although I loved her other poetry, that particular one is still the most memorable. All there is to say About Nothing… she said nothing and I heard it loud and clear.
Silence can benefit us if we use it wisely. However, we are poets and writers, we know we can’t be quiet for too long. So if you’re reading this and you have a brief tip for our readers on what helps stimulate your writing process, please feel free to post it in the comment section of this blog.
We appreciate you and encourage you to listen to your inner self. Continue to polish your craft. Don’t be afraid of silence. It will give you nothing and everything in return. If you JUST LISTEN… TO IT’S POWER!!!
THANK YOU
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