- Author UnknownI have not heard silence
more than in music
the hollow of a bell
the harmony of a singer
the puncturing of a drum
excavates a sanctuary
inside my skull, there I capture
strains of music that belong
to a realm without sound
desert where silence performs for silence
when I no longer have thirst
I will be able to stay there
a symphony of deafness will congregate
I will hear nothing
but the absence of myself
They’ll find me soon
ReplyDeleteI know they will
I need to be alone.
Their nattering demands are shrill,
They chill me to the bone.
The thumping, bawling whining drone ––
Persistent raucous blast ––
Seeks each secret hiding place ––
Shatters every caste.
They’ll find me soon,
I know they will,
But till they do I’ll fight ––
Eccentric –– lost ––
But steeled against ––
The Realm of Endless Night.
~ FreeThinke (1982)
______________ The Boombox _____________
ReplyDeleteNestled in a quiet glade so still
One could hear a fluttering sparrow’s wing,
Immersed in prayerful thought, I’d like to kill that
Squawking, howling, growling, thumping thing
Engrossing –– eating up –– my sacred space,
Projecting Social Cancer at my head.
Overtaking prayer it chokes like mace.
Like mace it stings then stuns. My mind, well-fed,
Leaps to battle the Invading Force,
Usurping all my rights to meditate.
The minions of the militantly coarse
Idolize the fiends who violate
Our right to think and feel from deep within
Negating all that’s good with fearful din.
_________ Deafening Decay _________
ReplyDeleteDelight to some, to others desecration
Eradicating every single chance
At peaceful, soul-enriching contemplation
Fostering the hope for sweet romance.
Ears and mind, instead, sit stunned –– assaulted.
Noxious noise befouls the atmosphere
In throbbing pseudo-ecstasy exalted
Neutralizing all that’s clean and clear.
Ground out tones smacking of self-pity
Degrade the mise en scene where they appear,
Erasing what’s not grubby, gross or gritty
Catering, instead, to our worst fears.
Aggravation never ceasing breeds
Yammering lemmings aping Satan’s leads.
~ FreeThinke
__________ Musical Toilets __________
ReplyDeleteMistaken notions in the world abound ––
Unheard of at the time when I was born.
Surrounded –– soaked –– in crass, unwanted sound
I’m buried –– suffocated –– and forlorn.
Consciousness invaded by loud static ––
Ambushed –– conquered –– isolated –– snuffed ––
Languishes while Coarseness brays ecstatic.
The mind can’t thrive when with distractions stuffed ––
Over-filled –– with poisonous temptations
Instigating sullenness engaged
In assertive, mulish non-participation
Erupting just when pointlessly enraged.
The times have changed; they have become deranged.
Silence, from our world’s become estranged.
~ FreeThinke
____________ Stillness ____________
ReplyDeleteNo sound beyond the dropping of the leaves
Or shushing in the treetops of the stirring
In the air and periodic whirring
Soft of wings and bundling of sheaves ––
Every now and then a bird may call
Looking for or longing for his mate;
Escaping still the hunter’s dinner plate.
Scythes swish steadily as grain grown tall
Submits to delicate compelling force.
Workers silently bent to their task
Over whom hot sunshine spills its rays
Reap swiftly knowing pain could come, of course.
Later, in the afterglow they’ll bask
Dreaming foolishly of better days.
~ FreeThinke
*silence*
ReplyDelete__________ Summer Soliloquy __________
ReplyDeleteAlone I walk down shady woodland paths.
Bright sunshine filtered through the trees
Dapples the ground beneath my questing feet.
Here at last I am alone with God.
Farther on a little pool catches
And reflects the filtered light which beckons
Kindly like a White Witch of the Wood.
I feel a thrill without a trace of fear.
I cannot stop myself from moving closer
Toward the Edge to see the Tadpoles swimming
In myriad stages of development.
I feel a wish to be part of their world.
The pool is a Mirror enabling me to see
Myself more clearly in a tranquil light;
Also an Eye that opens the mysteries of
The Universe to peace-filled understanding.
~ FreeThinke (1956)
___ SNOW HAIKU ___
ReplyDeleteFresh snow at sunset
Trees glistening quietly
In pink and copper tones.
Snow covered branches
Thaw, then turn to crystal lace
Gleaming in sun light.
Melting on the ground
As snow deserts the branches
Black twigs claw the sky.
~ FreeThinke
The secret to combatting ADD
ReplyDeleteLies in taking one thing you think great
Into splendid isolation where no sounds
Or sights assault the senses with distractions
Concentrate on learning to ignore
Stray thoughts and wayward influences crude
Self-discipline becomes its own reward
Examine only one thing at a time
Pop Culture we must come to recognize
As the enemy of Reason and good work.
Learn to cherish silence so you can
Listen to your heart and see within.
Monasticism may seem too austere,
But retreating from the world pays dividends
It deepens your perceptions as it hones
Improvement in your character and views,
And aids in helping you learn to eschew
The tawdriness that saps your strength, and then
Impoverishes every part of you.
~ FreeThinke
~ RBT - 8/26/15
ReplyDelete___ TO PROMOTE INNER PEACE ___
Divorce yourself from everything that's "pop"
Visualize a cabin in the pines
Close by a silver lake or sparkling stream
Detached from every aspect of the grid.
Chop wood, fetch water so you may survive
Eating fresh caught fish or game you kill
Along with berries, nuts, and tasty leaves.
Carry with you a supply of books
Writing paper and a clutch of pens
Allow yourself an oil lamp for the night
Embrace austerity, and get to know
Yourself, and only what may be essential
To survival in the coming winter months.
Emulating Thoreau may provide
The antidote to hellish modern life.
~ FreeThinke