#silence #poetry #kaddish #sayingkaddish #rememberingmom #amida #morningprayer #sephardicjews #irmag #irma #wordshavewings
I usually arrive a few minutes late to Tefillot in the morning.
When stepping into that holy space, usually during the silent Amidah, I am transformed, not by the words but by the silence. The words transform those who are praying. Are they lost in their prayer? I cannot know what their kavvanah (intention) is but I can reflect upon the silence in the room.
What is the Shape of Silence?
Murmuring
Murmuring
Like a purr
Silence in the room
Yes, you can hear a pin drop.
The wind blows in the room
Wind from the south
Warm and delicious
The heating system does not know
That it brings the sound of the wind
But it does
Whoosh
Murmuring
Murmuring
Like a warm breeze
Silence fills the air
small sounds escape into the silence
each sound magnified
Becoming part of the wind that swirls quietly
Into space
Occasional words
Spontaneous words
Words
Escape
Tiptoe out of a crack in a heart
Soft words escape lips
Individual words knotted together
Form a tallit that flies
Into the silence
This silence is a gift
This package of silence
In it we can put our prayers
Our worries,
our cares,
our hopes, our dreams
My silence
Your silence
Our silence
Do you hear it?
Whoosh
Murmuring
Murmuring
Like a warm breeze
