Hush, her silken cobweb gown;
Truth, her birthstone of renown;
Graceful, regal, grey-eyed, fair –
I came on Silence, unawares.
A probing teacher, simply guised,
whose solemn ways are oft despised;
lone midwife of both dusk and dawn,
from wells of thought her draughts are drawn.
As shining dewdrops magnify
the veins of petals ere they dry,
her presence focuses the mind
on longings gaunt or well-defined.
Masks decay where she holds sway,
the foolish babble, donkeys bray;
Love’s mission brooks no vain delay,
Shame finds the blush she’d sent away.
Man’s essence arms his fondest theses
as all clamor fades and ceases:
each his own soliloquy
of charity, hostility.
Scales of judgment passed around—
who wills to look, his sight’s unbound:
one’s deeds, intents (of façades shorn)
attest a life besmirched, adorned.
Author notes
draught: the amount taken in by a single act of drinking
theses: a proposition maintained by argument against objections
soliloquy: a discourse by a person who is talking to himself, oblivious to any hearers
façade: an artificial or deceptive front
A contest entry
- Stillness (quietly step inside) by Pisces rainbow.
1700 points, ended June 19, 15 entries
• next poem in this contest, remove from contest
Please tell me what you think
Comments
1 - 8 of 8
-
I could really feel this one on some level beneath the obvious...I like them that way...lots of love
-
I am in absolute awe, lady! You have phrase after breathtaking phrase here! I found myself almost overloaded with enthusiasm and connection in these. There was such a build within all this amazing description and then such wonderful didactic passages at the end. Love this!
-
This poem is stunning, especially the first three stanzas.
The combination of the iambic and trochaic meter and rhyme is sublime and faithful to its subject.
This one line in the fourth stanza bothers me a bit: "fools babble, donkeys bray;" perhaps because it begins with a spondaic foot, or it's length, or because it breaks the sublime feeling in the rest of your verse up until that point.
Your verse is exquisite. -
-
Thank you for your observation, I had missed that! I altered it to keep the meter. Thank you so much!
-
-
very lovely
interesting and enjoyable
Thank you for your entry
God bless you my friend...
-
Well shared!
and I feel assured that you have captured the very essence with imagery and have quietly slipped inside to do so ... I enjoyed your fine usage of words and would only question the word "we" in line 2. I read this poem several times and each time that I did I questioned why you chose "we".
It seems that "I" would put the reader right into that silence ... Good luck in this interesting contest. joy
-
-
Thank you for the thoughtful read and excellent comment, Joy. I agree with you and have input the change you suggested. Thank you!
-
-
A wonderful personification of silence and her role. Spending time in her presence can unsettle us but also refocus, and examine our lives. Well done!
Adding your comment:
1 - 8 of 8
