Silence

What comes to mind when you hear this?

An empty, quiet classroom?

Or an awkward silence in the car with your parents?

When I think of silence

I think of the many properties it can have

The many ways it can be used

The many meanings it has

The silence of a library is an obvious choice

But what are the other ways, you may wonder?

I can tell you the many ways of silence

That this word has to offer

Silence can be loud, deafening even

The silence after your teacher yells at you for not paying attention

Even if you can’t help it

And don’t know what’s going on with you

Silence can be scary

Only interrupted by the ticking of a clock

As you stay in the classroom after school to finish work

While your mom stays outside waiting for you

The silence of your psychiatrist’s office

Sitting alone with your mom and dad

Waiting to see what’s wrong with you

As that’s what you’ve been told for a long, long time

The silence of your bedroom after you’ve been scolded

Staying up too late and watching TV

Your TV unplugged and games taken away

Trying to fall asleep with guilt wrapped around your heart

Silence can be depressing

The feeling of your mouth being metaphorically glued shut

While you struggle to gain the courage to tell your mom

That you think you have depression

Silence can be anxiety inducing

Waiting patiently for a friend to respond

Your heart hammering in your chest

After you’ve told them your bad thoughts

Silence can be everything

And yet nothing at all

Silence can be comforting

And yet the most anxiety inducing thing ever

Silence can sometimes be everything we want

The peaceful quiet after a long day at school

But silence can be something that hurts us

Like the silence of a friend when we try to reach out to them and receive no reply

Silence is a powerful tool

Silence can be a weapon of mass destruction

You can convey so many emotions with simple

Silence