A sonnet of silence
My first Sonnet. An attempt to describe the feeling of the deafening silence of the bush.
A heavy stillness, unbroken by sound.
Insects and frogs and birds; noise all around,
Adding to, not disturbing, the quietude.
Silence so strong it pushes against your
Ears and sends messages of lethargy
To your limbs – to sit is the only way.
To lie still and listen, to quieten the voice,
To just be – one with all the world around.
Hear the leaf fall as it brushes the dirt.
See the dust lift when a bird swoops nearby.
Feel the soft breeze that smells of wattle
And the crunch of Gum-leaves, brittle in your hand.
Silence so loud that your ear-drums rattle,
There is no room for loneliness out here.
Martin Derksema
It might be the first, but I think it is a very strong sonnet. You described this feeling of silence very well. I really love the last sentence. I never feel alone when I am surrounded by nature. I can feel alone when I am on a party.
Janice Sheen
Thanks FlyBoy! and thankyou for taking the time to read and think about the poems I have put up so far….
Loneliness in a crowd is very common for me too. The only time I have felt lonely in nature was when I went on a 10 day solo hike in the SW National Park. A couple of evenings I had a campsite to myself and then, as the darkness falls and the forest sounds creep closer and you know that you are the only human for several hours walk in any direction… that can be lonely. But Scary-lonely rather than alone-lonely… if you know what I mean?.
What I described in the sonnet…. in our family we call it ‘Deafening silence’!
Martin Derksema
Courageous of you to go on a solo hike. I think I would have felt scary-lonely too. Deafening silence is a beautiful description.