I have been pondering the notion of silence since reading Mary Oliver's short poem,'The Old Poets of China.'
that I do not want it. Now I understand
why the old poets of China went so far and high
into the mountains, then crept into the pale mist.
Mary Oliver
I am not uncomfortable with silence. it is something I savour. Silence can be an elusive thing to find in our noisy, busy lives, but there is value in seeking it out. Silence can be restorative. It can deliver a sense of peace, clarity and understanding. Sit and listen in a quiet place, both inside yourself as well as immediately around you. It may conjure thoughts and ideas for your poetry. It's sometimes amazing what emerges from the silence surrounding you.
At midnight
Our house is a nest of dark rooms
Still,wrapped in silence
Inside my head though
Thoughts dance wildly in circles
They deny me sleep
Their muddled curious details
Keep me turning beneath the covers
on a rotisserie of endless ponderings
Until a time I suspect is close to dawn
Finally, I am released to rest
In a brief stretch of slumber.
Upon waking
I recall fragments
In the soft light of a new day
And I am charged with the task
Of assembling something
Meaningful from flimsy
And delicate pieces.
Alan j Wright
It is Poetry Friday and our host this time is Karen Edmisten. Karen shares a poem delivering hope and restoration in times of difficulty.
Alan, I can identify with your thoughts here – both the joy of silence and the frustration of a noisy mind. As I was reading your poem, I opened my window to hear the sounds of the night, and this is whoooo called out to me: https://duckduckgo.com/?q=great+horned+owl+call&atb=v382-1&iax=videos&ia=videos&iai=https%3A%2F%2Fwww.youtube.com%2Fwatch%3Fv%3DkqcmukhiGs0
ReplyDeleteThank you , Tracey. Amazing synchronicity in our respective worlds. Thank goodness the noisy mind is not a consistent slumber partner.
DeleteWhat a beautiful response to the silence of being awake at night. It reminds me of the idea of "leaning in" to something that can't be fought or opposed anyway. I absolutely have opportunity to find poems in the silence of night. It's wonderful. Thanks for the Mary Oliver poem too!
ReplyDeleteThanks, Linda. The mind being creative at such times is something else. It is as you write, something difficult to resist. Good luck with your night time thought storms.
Delete"Still, wrapped in silence" is a great line! I, too, am drawn to those high, remote, misty places. Thank you!
ReplyDeleteThanks Irene. Remote, misty places are compelling.
DeleteI'm wondering about "assembling something meaningful" -- a last-grasp hanging on to those bits of silence that we bring into our day? Or the beleaguered response to no sleep when we must rise and be about our work in a noisy world? Thank you for the ponderings. :)
ReplyDeleteThose flimsy morning fragments are not always sufficient to build anything meaningful with unfortunately. I sense you are familiar with this territory Patricia.
Delete"a rotisserie of endless ponderings" ... yes. :) I savor silence, too, but too often I let my wildly dancing thoughts disturb the peace that silence can bring. I like your approach, Alan, of turning them into something meaningful the next day.
ReplyDeleteThose busy thoughts are irrepressible, Karen. Thank you for your keen observations.
DeleteI am a night person, sleeping less, thinking more,, thus your poem's line of "rotisserie of endless ponderings" speaks not so softly to me this morning. I remember! Thanks, Alan, for new thoughts of silence.
ReplyDeleteI too am a night person, Linda. The mind comes alive at some inconvenient times. I do sleep with my phone in another room and I stop looking at it a good thirty minutes before I retire. It's a strategy that isn't foolproof or poetproof. Wishing you peaceful dreams.
DeleteI love this line "Inside my head though/Thoughts dance wildly in circles". It is so true. And the rotisserie image is incredible. We live off a busy street, it often sounds like the ocean and then there are nights when it's so quiet.
ReplyDeleteJone, your response highlights the contrasts in our lives with respect to silence. I lived in the heart of NYC for six years and always contended that I was surrounded by a louder silence in that place. Where I live now, 200 metres back from the beach, remains mostly tranquil and particularly quiet at night. Glad you appreciated the poem.
DeleteI love waking early when the house is silent and the world outside is dark. It's my favorite time to think and write, so your poems drew me right in, Alan. "Our house is a nest of dark rooms" is a beautiful image.
ReplyDeleteThanks Rose. You clearly know how to harness and celebrate the silence. Like you I often seek it out quite consciously.
DeleteI mostly working on my creative work in the early morning when everyone else is asleep--and I can't really write with music in the background. I love "a rotisserie of endless ponderings."
ReplyDeleteMarcie, to tell the truth I was unsure of 'rotisserie' but given reader reaction, I'm glad I stuck with it. Like you I like to write early in the day.
DeleteAlan, there are so many beautiful and realistic lines in your poem. "They deny me sleep" happened to me this morning as did thiese lines "Keep me turning beneath the covers/on a rotisserie of endless ponderings."
ReplyDeleteThank you Carol. I believe this poem may work simply because it details a common experience. So glad you enjoyed it. Sleep well.
DeleteI actually remembered a few jumbled pre-sleep thoughts when I got up this morning! I managed to get a poem idea onto paper before it was lost!!!
ReplyDeleteHow good is that, Mary Lee? Always a sense of triumph when we capture those special words before they evaporate.
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