A Thin Silence

This poem was inspired by a reading of 1 Kings 19:12 where God appears to Elijah on a mountain, wrapped in a "thin silence." It's also inspired by the classical and medieval view of the celestial spheres, which C.S. Lewis alludes to allegorically in his space trilogy, especially Out of the Silent Planet.


before the world began,
and ever since,
there is this thin silence.

hovering, it hums with harmony

this world existed within
sang out as part of
that thin silence

until it was muffled,
stopped up,
encapsulated from the song.

now the silence is broad and deafening.

a sound-proof booth
traps us in
waking death

there is no harmony
there is no melody

this world can't even hear itself.

from time to time
slivers of that warm song,
like a blade of grass that catches the wind,
slice through and pierce the silence
in a few searching souls

reminding us we were meant to sing along

copyright 2008