About Noise & Silence and Finding the Holy in it, Entry #2

On a  clear August day back in 2001, i was sitting in my kayak in the middle of one of this city's many lakes...listening. I stopped paddling and just listened. It was about eight o'clock in the morning. I just sat there and listened to what I thought would be silence. Later I reflected on that moment. Here is what I wrote:

Noise vs. Silence

The noise of the world is deafening

  Me and the kayak sitting here

On the perfectly still, peaceful lake,

   While speedboats, fishing boats roar,

Lawn mowers are grinding,

   Teenagers’ music is blaring, loudly,

The bass taking over the sound of our heartbeats,

   Cars just beyond the beach are racing past,

Televisions, phones, radios,

   It is hard to escape the noise of the world,

My ears ringing constantly,

   So loud, I can’t think,

Can’t stop, can’t listen,

   Listen to the heartbeat,

Listen to the breathing,

   Hear the wind,

And know what the Spirit is Saying.

Silence vs. Truth

The silence of the World is heart-wrenching,

   Everyone speaks but,

No one says anything,

   Exaggerations, sarcasm, anger, teasing,

Idioms, Slang, small talk, big talk,

   Beating around the bush,

Skirting the issues,

   But secrets are kept,

Lies are told,

   And silence is golden,

A silence so pervasive that,

   Our heart is closed now,

Unable to hear the heartbeat,

   Listen to the breathing,

Feel the pulse of the world,

   And know what the soul is saying.

Silence & Truth

Are we listening?

   Can we hear?

Are we speaking?

   What does the Spirit say?

What do you notice about noise and silence?

jules