Blessed Silence

Blessed Silence

Thank Heaven that
the angel Heaven sent had
nothing to say!

–Tom Riley

Rest Is Silence

The Rest Is Silence

 

 

I’ll wear black and be Hamlet today.
Once I act, I’ll have nothing to say.
You can speak in my stead.
Everyone will be dead—
But the questions will not go away.

 

 

–Tom Riley

Afterwords

Afterwords

 

 

 

 

 

Do you speak long and wisely?  You do—

Or we say that you do.  There are few

     Who deny you such powers.

     But you’ve been speaking hours.

Why not let blessed silence ensue?

 

 

 

 

 

–Tom Riley

Noted Speaker

Noted Speaker

We begged him for his wisdom.  He just belched.

We angled for his wit.  He only farted.

His latest set of foes had not been squelched.

Afraid of a response, he never started

To speak.  And we went slowly, broken-hearted,

Into the silence he declined to fill.

Our humble aspirations were discarded.

The lack of inspiration crushed our will.

After a while, thought got a chance to spill

Over the edges of our emptiness.

We analyzed our memories – and ill

They seemed then.  Could it really be?  Yes, yes:

This silence was the best that he could do;

His speeches had been farts and belches, too.

–Tom Riley