Silence Is a Shadow Language

It competes with what draws our attention,
what the senses highlight,
what our perception is skilled at noting,
how we process the unseen, unheard.

It is the white space in a painting,
the breath between stanzas,
the hiatus between storms,
the abatement of pain between contractions.

It communicates what our finite, focused minds miss.
It undergirds, sustains our messages, amplifies our 
body language, makes space for innuendos to sink in,
for reactions to fully form.

It can serve as a phantom that slips away 
when we think we recognize it, desire to give
it a spotlight, for its denial
is easily claimed.

Yet it is always available to us,
standing by to help punctuate,
stress, sculpt, and shapeshift
our relatable thoughts, messages.

It replaces No comment,
a desire to slap back at insults,
or a rejoinder of None of your business.
It allows a decanting wine to breathe.

It follows the Amen after a sermon or drash
of depth, and it lingers in our hearts, minds,
and palates when we’re confronted with awe,
creativity, sublime taste, and understanding.

(Grand Prize – Artists Embassy International, Dancing Poetry, 2026)