Silences Poem by Daniel Trevelyn Joseph

Was today standing below the green foliage
At Khopoli factory of Wartsila in the morning -
It was silent, and the silence sank into me.

It reminded me of the moment in Igatpuri
When I stood among tall trees, alone, silent,
In the Vipassana Academy, and felt
That the trees were speaking to me softly.

My mind moved back to the days in Pune
When I used to walk in that University campus,
And one morning strayed to the Australian girl’s
Cemetery, below huge trees frighteningly ghost-like,

Shouting but in utter, eerie silence
Not a wind, not a rustle all around,
Only the tinnitus in my left ear, ringing.

I walked further today to see the two wells
With the locked engine-shed between them,
And saw two “oosi thattans” tamil for needle dragon-flies,
With a bright yellow stick for their body trunk.

Not seen these creatures for last forty years,
Even then not this color, so bright and attractive:
A few others moths and dull-colored insects,
Bring themselves within the circle of my awareness.

Walked further to see the tree inhabited
By white egrets, except one with light brown,
The young ones fall when heavy wind blows,
And sit quietly on ground, helpless but safe.

Walked back to guesthouse beside the lotus pond,
With white lotus flowers, like pure virgins young,
Proudly displaying their body and beauty
Along the lake dressed in round green leaves.

When two hours later time came for me to leave
I saw that all the flowers had closed, looking like buds,
Indicating change is inevitable, steady drying up or death,
Whether virgin or pollinated, done the job or not, they end.