john o'connell (11.12.1949 / Limerick, Ireland)

In this silence
there is not the hush of a breeze,
not the purr of a cat,
not the hum of summer bees
and not the wiping of feet on a mat.

In this silence
there is the absence of fear,
the quenching of thirst
and the quiet eating of hungry bread.

In this silence there is the wise old look that says so much.

This silence is and is not
the lapping of gentle waters on the shores of a lonely lake.

This silence is not
the cries of gulls hovering
above the cliffs of eternal seas.