Silence and I

Silence I

We have a strange friendship
Silence and I.
We meet again, often now,
as when and I was young.
It has been many years.
I have changed.
So has Silence.

As a child, I would meet Silence
in magic places.
on the second branch of the mango tree,
in the sweet smelling laundry cupboard,
on the front seat atop the double decker bus.
Silence was my accomplice
and would make space
for me to spin fantasies that must
one day come true;
She let me listen to the parrots
and the who-did-its,
she led me by the soul to questions
and wide-eyed discoveries -
a whirling technicolour channel...
in silence.

Silence filled up my mind
and maybe made it noisy.
But it was fun.
And we were friends.
Except when she brooded in the dark,
usually at night,
and I would reach out
and grip my brother's hand
to get away from Silence.

Silence II

We lost touch for many years
Silence and I.
I looked the other way when she came by,
turning greedily to people and plots
that filled my raucous active life
Perhaps she couldn't stay
in the midst
of my restless world,
till I was ready to invite her again
and wordlessly say "hello, I miss you."
She's quieter now
and mellow
and has a bubble of her own
that keeps the world at bay.
I've changed as well
and when I'm with her
I am still.
I do not dream of what may be,
just hug the warmth of her presence
the glow of her weightless calm.
Sometimes we talk.
Not often,
for I don't wish to break the Silence
that keeps me with myself
alone but not lonely.
Hush.
I am Silent after all.

(c) Anita Vasudeva, 2005