Silence

Silence is golden. That’s what he said,
Enabling people to listen and think.
To listen to others or listen to God,
To think about life and to ponder in peace.
But this is when silence is there by request,
Not forced upon you in anger or fear.

Angry silence. Words left unsaid.
The pain of the past is too much to bear
Desperate to protect and stop her pain
She builds a wall. A wall of silence.
Fuelled by anger, this silence has power
Power to wound more than words of spite.

Silent days. The wall is solid.
A barrier dividing two aching hearts.
Nothing it seems will break it down
He pleads and cries, but the wall won’t move.
In frustration words of anger are thrown -
They shatter to pieces as they hit the wall.

Wall of silence. Solid. Protecting.
And as it protects it hardens her heart.
No more will she feel the painful sting
When words try to cut like a knife.
The wall, the silence, keeps everything out,
Both painful attacks and healing balm.

Silent tears fall. His heart is breaking.
He can’t understand why she’s being so hard.
What has he done? What has he said?
He can’t remember back over the years.
And now this silence has locked him out
And left him enduring these weeks of hell.

Silent destruction. Destroying two lives.
Pain-filled emotions as love turns to hate.
Anger and bitterness, self-centred pride,
Each one a brick in this terrible wall.
What will it take for the wall to collapse,
For this silence to break and the healing to start?

Months of silence. Time drags on.
Who will win this battle of wills?
What will the winner gain? What will it cost?
The price for victory might just be too high.
And who else will all these hostilities hurt?
The innocent should not become victims of war.

Silent despair. The family is torn.
They need to unite to mend this rift.
The need to be right is shaken by love,
A love that breaks through the anger and pride.
The wall is unstable, the mortar is weakened.
The bricks begin to break, as they fall to the ground.

Silence is broken. Words are exchanged,
Spoken with honesty, courage and love
Words that unite two people again,
And struggle to make this family whole.
The victory here is not pride or revenge.
The winner is love expressed from the heart.