What is the Silence In The Following Poem?
The silence is the voice of truth about ourselves and our lives. In some works, the meaning of silence in poetry reveals depths that words alone cannot express. It bears witness to our deeds even if others aren’t there to witness our cruelty or our indifference to the suffering of other sentient beings. It bears witness to the cold heartedness that lets us walk by without helping even as others call out in pain or from desperate need.
The following poem is telling us to act with a sense of urgency about our lives, the way we treat others and the way we treat our planet. We need to alter the course of our lives to become more caring and compassionate in our actions to others- not only humans but other species as well- to change our old habits and expand our consciousness to live in harmony with others and stop the mindless destruction of our home. Through selfishness and our negative emotions such as hate, vindictiveness, greed and a need to feel power over others, we have become oblivious to the suffering of others and in the end it may very well cost us our lives as well.
The silence is telling us that our words in the places where we worship mean nothing if we just parrot what we hear and don’t live by them. In the end, our society like a deck of cards will tumble and fall if we don’t face the truth about ourselves and change our old ways of thinking and living, right now. And finally, the truth that we have denied for so long will at last be heard.
The Silence
There’s a silence
deep in the hearts of men
that bears witness to all his deeds…
Even those who never contemplate
what little they’ve done
for their fellow man-
a testament to their purposeless life,
if they could just stop to hear the silence.
This silence it gently beckons to be heard
in the stark light of a street lamp
where a woman
and a child beg for food…
As a man beats a dog
and another indifferently looks on;
as a child is abused by his own parent,
a voice shrill
while hers is stilled.
After a gun volley has been fired
and so many lifeless bodies
can be seen;
children dazed,
cries muffled as the other
sounds compete for attention…
The silence
loud in the ears of the victims who cling to life
in a despairing moment to survive…
and yet it gets lost in
sound bites in a quick summary of today’s news.
It can be heard
between the notes of a sorrowful dissonance
in a composition by Charles Ives-
between the cries of a child
drowned out by the sirens of the city’s streets…
Between the cries of a dog
chained every day,
deprived of food and water
who has never known a day of kindness.
But the silence is too faint to the ears
of those deafened by the
hardening of their own hearts
and souls to their routine existence.
You can hear the silence if you walk
very early in the morning hours…
or very late at night.
It envelops the world as its atmosphere
and runs deep as a cavern all through the earth…
After a rain
which purges some of the stains
and always in the
sounds of nature…to gently remind us of its presence…
You can hear the silence
in a river flowing
or in a pause between the waves which hit the shore,
between the pulses of a heartbeat.
The silence which struggles to be heard
in the pauses of a rhythmical chant
at a sacred temple of humanity’s past…
caught in a futile dance
with the empty syllables of meaningless words.
And as a deck of cards so constructed-
to stand momentarily before
it tumbles and falls
in a precarious balance of contrived form…
It must last give way to the Silence
in its deafening cry-
if there is still a soul
around to hear
its words.
How Precious is the Time We Have
From this poignant song “Wise Enough” by Lamb, the lyrics go…
"How precious is the time we have. Are we not wise enough to give all we are? We have a chance to make a difference to our dying day."
I’m Going to find a Way to Say It
"I'm going to find a way to say it. Sing it from the tallest tree."
Maybe we all need to find another language. The language of peace and love. To live up to our human potential and be all that we can be.
Insights on The Silence
The Silence is a powerful meditation on conscience—on the quiet, inescapable truth that lives beneath noise, denial, and distraction. In this poem, silence is not absence; it is presence. It bears witness when no one else will. It remembers what society tries to forget. The poem insists that silence is not neutral—it records our cruelty, our indifference, and our failure to act when confronted with suffering.
Through stark images—a woman and child begging, a beaten dog, abused children, gunfire, and dazed survivors—the poem exposes how suffering is often drowned out by routine, media sound bites, and emotional numbness. The repetition of silence throughout the poem emphasizes its persistence: even when ignored, it remains. It grows louder to those who suffer, while fading for those whose hearts have hardened through habit, comfort, or fear.
Nature becomes a contrast to human-made noise. Silence is found in rivers, rain, waves, and the pause between heartbeats—suggesting that truth is woven into the natural world, waiting for us to listen. Yet the poem warns that words spoken in sacred spaces mean nothing without lived compassion. Ritual without action is hollow.
And finally, the house-of-cards imagery symbolizes the fragility of a society built on denial and inaction. Eventually, the structure collapses. In the end, silence becomes a plea—urging awareness, responsibility, and change.
Key Takeaways
- The silence reflects the truth about our actions and indifference towards suffering.
- It urges us to change our habits, showing that compassion is essential for harmony with others and the planet.
- The poem illustrates silence as a witness to cruelty and neglect, contrasting it with the noise of daily life.
- Nature holds the silence, suggesting that truth exists in the world around us, waiting to be heard.
- Ultimately, the poem teaches that wisdom arises from being in touch with our hearts and being present in our lives.
