…silence is not golden

Don’t misread that old adage
‘silence speaks louder than words’
it underplays its influence
its capacity for hyperbole and exaggerated expression
never fall for the allure of the sweet songs of silence
for it is within its grasp, that everything is amplified
it seduces with whispers
it plays both sides while crafting its delicate lies
paints sunshine over darkness
predicts stormy weather over a gentle sea
we, in our search for peace, have taken it too literally
silence does not speak at all
just as black is the absence of colour
colourless, silence is not golden, but a dark empty void
that in and of itself can reach into the very depths of your soul
where it magnifies your pain, your fear and insecurities
without so much as a whisper
as it swallows you whole
©Ann Bagnall