January 20: Frozen Sunday, Hot Chocolate, "In Praise of Silence"

A poem about silence for this frozen Sunday evening.

Saint Marty is ready for some hot chocolate and Bailey's.

In Praise of Silence

by:  Martin Achatz


Praise the Lord for the silence of dusk
As it shifts the air from winter sun
To winter moon, the melt of snow
To something hard as onyx or bone.
Praise the ring of eardrum in quiet,
How it vibrates, hums with the memory
Of the day, news of tsunami in Japan,
The lives of thousands swept away
Like crumbs from Friday dinner
Of lentils, crackers, apple juice,
The tablecloth taken outside, shaken,
The way my grandmother taught me,
For lost souls who roam the night,
Tap on black window glass, hungry
For light, warmth, or prayer.
Praise the tide of heart in my chest,
Calm waves of blood, in, out, in, out,
Reminding me this night that I am safe.  Alive.
That my tongue doesn’t taste ocean mud.