Sunday, May 22, 2011

The Sounds of Silence

                                  Redon

THE SOUNDS OF SILENCE

The sounds of silence! A misnomer,
Unless, of course, you're in a coma.
Listen! Hear your blood go round
With that familiar swishing sound.
Listen! Hear breaths out, breaths in,
Hear them pause, hear them begin.
Listen! Hear that chirping bird.
Silence? Utterly absurd.
The traffic's hum, though far away,
Forms a background to each day.
And is that tinnitus in my ears,
Forerunner of silent future years?
Deafness! A silence that exists,
Silence that, for years, persists.
If I'm heading in that direction
It is cause for introspection.
Give me years of cacophony
So they can be a memory.
*

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PICNIC PARTY

All around the lake are dotted
Pleasant little spots like these,
Where we're sheltered, from the hot sun,
By the canopy and trees.
With our floppy hats as shelter
We can all enjoy the breeze.
Getting out our salad lunches
Making coffees, making teas.
Someone there has brought a sandwich.
Lovely! It's her usual....cheese.
Hope the insects don't come near us,
Flies, mosquitoes, even bees!
George has got his old hay-fever!
Here it comes! He's going to sneeze!
Is it swine-flu? George be careful!
Not in this direction PLEASE!
*

1 comment:

Margaret Gosden said...

Few will agree with me that silence is golden! With hearing aids I have discovered that we live in a noisy world, perhaps contributing to the softening sound of life around me. That I can turn it on and off is useful now, though that is not recommended by those who sell high end aids! I find I cannot do without silence, just as I cannot do without 'sleep', another luxury that I thought I didn't need for many years. It is possible
to live with changed hearing - one compensates in
different interesting ways - but for those who love
sound I understand the sense of loss.