John Watt Poet Free verse

Notes About The Poem

Truth In Silence

there is meaning in the songs around me,
the chattering of birds,
the foreign languages of animals,
the laughter of children at play tells of life;
these are the songs of life.

there is meaning in the sounds around me,
the constancy of waves,
the mystery of trees in the wind;
the powerful might of thunder tells of God;
these are the sounds of God.

there is silence in the stars at night, 
silence in the graveyard,
silence in the new day’s rising sun,
silence on the battlefield after all the hate is spent,
silence in the friend who knows your deepest pain,
but what is the meaning of silence?

the Lord may not come in the earthquake, fire, or storm -
he may wait till our ears are tuned to hear his whisper*
there is silence in the truth 
and truth in silence.

* - I Kings 19:11-12

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Andrea Dietrich August 13, 2020 at 4:21 PM Outstanding work for faith based type poetry. FAVE! John Watt August 13, 2020 at 5:13 PM Thanks for another comment and another fav! You've blessed me a great deal today!

Aditi Mishra May 27, 2020 at 1:59 PM Dear John, I am so thankful that you shared this poem for me to read. I could close my eyes and feel the beauty of every line as I imagined it. Your words here should be savored gradually, few at a time to dive into the ocean of observations. The waves, the wind, the stars all of them create music for us to hear in silence. God bless you dear friend :) John Watt May 27, 2020 at 3:22 PM Aditi, I rarely recommend one of my poems for reading, but your poem 'Silence' was so reminiscent of this one that I was willing to make an exception. I'm so glad you made the effort to find this, read it, absorb it, and bless me with your touching words. Be blessed, dear poetess ~ John

Judith Kerttula May 4, 2020 at 6:32 PM Didn't know this piece was a winning placement till I read it here in the comments. Love this piece and I can see why it is a winner. Congrats!! I truly enjoyed this. Silence tells all!! John Watt May 7, 2020 at 2:48 PM Judith, it's nice to meet you. Thank you for seeing this poem and reaching out to me with your kind comment!

Beata Agustin April 21, 2020 at 3:22 AM Wow! Congrats! The Lord be praised and thanked for this piece exalting Him, and magnifying His power. God bless you. Thanks likewise for your gracious comments for my poems. John Watt April 21, 2020 at 10:03 AM Thank you Beata for your uplifting words! Thank you also for the great idea of adding a Scripture to a poem with an asterisk - I hope you don't mind that I borrowed that idea from you! Your poetry is always so God-centered, which I find edifying. I appreciate the visit.

Sam Kauffman April 18, 2020 at 2:05 PM John, Congratulations on your winning placement. Love the last two lines. So many wonderful lines of truth - "on the battlefield after all the hate is spent." The scripture "be still and know that I am God" rings through out. So glad it is a winner. Blessings dear friend. John Watt April 18, 2020 at 2:24 PM Thank you for the excellent verse and the uplifting words, Sam. In a world of sirens, ringing phones, and honking horns, silence is often a blessed relief. That said, I cannot imagine being bereft of hearing, what a sorrow that would be. Blessings!

Michelle Faulkner March 30, 2020 at 3:17 PM How profound, especially the line 'silence on the battlefield after all the hate is spent' - so much truth to find in these quiet moments - John Watt March 30, 2020 at 4:35 PM Thank you for your lovely insights, Michelle. There seems to be a lot more quiet these days; some positive, some not so much. ~ John

Charlie Smith March 30, 2020 at 2:47 PM Well done John, excellent entry, best wishes... John Watt March 30, 2020 at 2:49 PM Thank you, sir Charlie. I wish you the best as well.