Silence

I like the sound of silence. I mean I like the sound of the word ‘silence’. You can’t hear silence per se, however silence can be measured i.e. not picking up certain waves audible to the human ear is a measure of silence, making it tangible. Hence you can ‘hear’ silence.

Well, there isn’t enough of it around. There is always some kind of noise in the background, though I must say, at the moment I can hear nothing but the intermittent sound of my computer‘s hard disk trying to locate information which I didn’t ask for.

At night when darkness blankets the sky, its companion quietness doesn’t always make an appearance. Natural and man made sound affects fill the air. Barks of a fox and the whipping of air by helicopter rotors are just two examples. Foxes, now that is an animal I could write a whole paragraph on, but then again I’m sure Sir David Attenborough has narrated a whole series of programs on this weird and at times annoying creature.

Back to where we were. I think at times, some people surround themselves by sounds, be it music, the TV, friends chatting away etc. because they are afraid to be left alone with their thoughts. That isn’t always the case, but it does happen. Silence can bring thoughts and memories, which one might wish to suppress, to the fore. But then again, silence can also induce happy thoughts and memories. It just depends on the state of mind one is in. Of course, sounds too provide cues to certain things and can result in a chain of ideas.

It is nice to just sit in silence and let your mind wander. The brain always finds ways of keeping itself occupied, being such a marvellous piece of organic engineering. Is it ever quiet? When the brain is deprived of oxygen for quite a while, yes, otherwise I think not.

It is amazing to think, that even when there is silence all around, there is so much happening and so much can be said without making a sound.

Moon walking

Moon walking isn’t too hard. All it takes is knowing the steps and practising those steps until they become seamless. Anyway that’s beside the point.

I noticed that I haven’t soaked in enough of the moon. I miss being able to stand on a balcony in the night and be draped in moonlight. Well there are many factors that make people wary and weary of walking in the night and enjoying the view of the night sky. Safety, the weather (in particular clouds) and light pollution are some of the factors that spring to mind. It’s not always safe to walk in the night and sit in a park to absorb the silence. If there are clouds in the sky there are no stars to look at, although clouds do create a marvel of colour in the night sky. And of course, street lights. Light pollution is quite prevalent but it is heartening to see that local governments are taking actions to counter this.

What initiated this talk about the celestial body that orbits the earth? Well, I was standing in the car park after work at around half five in the evening and looked up. The sky was clear with various shades of blue. I could make out one of the most popular constellations, Ursa Major (or minor). After many days of rain and cloud it was marvellous to look up and see a crystal clear sky.

As spring approaches, I’m sure many more evenings shall be pleasant and one would want to just sit in a comfy reclining chair in a quite area, with a cup of tea and envelope oneself in the thought that you are moving in an orderly manner in a chaotic cosmos.

The Moon

A clear sky after sunset,
A canvas with multiple shades of blue.
Stars visible at the darker end,
Unaccompanied by the moon.

A waxing crescent will start to appear.
A tilted grin, a waif,
Delightfully ethereal.

The grin grows into a gasp, saying ‘O’,
‘Look at you, down below’,
‘Basking in my aura’.

Slowly it begins to wane,
‘I shall be back, miss me not’, says the moon.
‘Hope there are no clouds to block the view’.

It winks.
It grins, bidding adieu.