The Falling Quiet

 When I walked where voices once had thrummed,

There came a spell of silence after the din;
The world held breath beneath its muted hum,
And I awoke from slumber lulled within.

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I. The Falling Quiet

Once, clamor reigned in every crowded street,
A thousand footsteps drummed a frantic beat;
Horns and hammers, laughter, cries, and pleas
Wove a tapestry of urgent energies.
Then all at once the chorus lost its thread,
And even echo paused beside my head;
The air grew soft, as if the earth exhaled,
And every frantic heartbeat sweetly stilled.

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II. The Awakening

I stirred as though from dreams I could not name,
A gentle rouse from darkness into flame;
No trumpet call, no siren’s urgent wail—
Just perfect calm that whispered through the vale.
My senses, dulled by endless noise of life,
Now sharpened to the slightest hint of light;
I felt the pulse of being, clear and true,
As silence spoke in volumes I once knew.

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III. The Listening Self

In that vast hush I heard my own heartbeat,
A soft percussion, steady, sure, replete
With every hope and fear I’d locked away—
Now pounding bright against the edge of day.
My thoughts unfolded like a folded wing,
Revealing dreams I’d never dared to sing;
Each quiet moment blossomed in my mind,
A secret garden I had left behind.

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IV. Echoes of the World

Beyond myself, the earth began to breathe,
A forest stirring in the silent sheath;
Leaves that whispered secrets to the breeze,
And shadows dancing ‘neath the ancient trees.
A river’s song, released from noisy chords,
Ran crystal-clear through untouched, winding fjords;
Each pebble’s tumble, every feather’s fall,
Resounded with a majesty for all.

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V. Transformation

Within that space I felt my spirit shift,
A subtle alchemy, a precious gift;
The weight of countless days dissolved away,
And in its stead, a quiet strength held sway.
No longer bound by clamor’s fierce demand,
I learned to walk with grace on softer land;
Each footfall brought a promise, hushed and new,
That even silence carries life anew.

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VI. Return to Sound

At last the world resumed its vibrant call,
The hum of voices, rising like a tide;
Yet I emerged, no longer bound by thrall,
For I had heard what in the hush abides.
The din returned, but now my soul could sing
In harmony with every growing thing;
I carry silence in my open chest,
A hidden note within the loudest quest.

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VII. The Gift of Silence

So when the tumult rises once again,
And every sound conspires to drown the heart,
I close my eyes and summon back that glen—
The spell of silence where all noise departs.
There I awaken, ever and anew,
To secrets only quietude can hew;
And in that space between each fleeting breath,
I find the life that transcends even death.

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And in the echo of that sacred calm,
I hold the world within a single psalm.