A poem about silence and what it represents

Something solo travel makes me think about is the concept of silence. Not silence in the literal sense, but the concept of silencing the soul, silencing the world, when silence means peace. This poem about silence explores these ideas and all the things silence can represent.

Silence

Silence meets you alone in the forest, presses your body into the Earth,
gazes out at you from across the Ocean’s impossible infinity
and fills the space inside you,
clearing out the worries,
doubts, and responsibilities.

The world hushes,
Mother Earth takes a breath around you,
pausing,
aligning.
Like you were something she had left out of place
until she tidied up,
put you back somewhere that feels right.

What if silence isn’t the lack of sound,
but a feeling?
The wind blows your hair and the leaves flutter
and not even the problems of a few minutes ago matter.

The steadying of your feet when you step off a boat
for the first time in hours
and feel the earth stop rocking under you,
the sunset painted in the sky after a day
where miracles were accomplished.

Silence sings along to the sound of symphonies,
ripples with the laughter of loved ones in another room,
falls from swollen eyes,
echos your voice soaring off a cliff as you release
into a scream.

The sound of silence is kissing your lover for the first time
after realising they are the only person you ever want to kiss,
rain when you have no reason to be outside,
a newborn child’s beating heart,
tea on a Sunday morning,
pine needles falling on a forest floor.

Silence can be heard in a breath,
a touch,
it sounds like peace.
It sounds like freedom.

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More Travel Poems

I hope you enjoyed this poem about silence! If you want to read more poetry, have a look at these other poems:

• A Poem About a Once in a Lifetime Travel Moment is a poem about a magical moment I had in Laos, but didn’t get on camera, and how that affects the memory.
• A Heartwarming Travel Poem About Guatemala is about a travel moment in Flores, Guatemala that gave me some insight about some of the cultural differences between Guatemala and North America.
• Lessons From The Ocean is about meditating on the ocean and the perspective it can give you.
• Or check out more of my poetry here!