Generation Z Speaks – A poetic short by one of our Opus Youth Writers!
“We need silence to be able to touch souls.” – Mother Teresa
She covers the mouths of patient children and wraps herself around the wind, but when the trees shake ever so slightly her gentle touch fades. “Silence!” You shout at your happy children, and she pours out of thin air, she clamps down on their lips, like a staple to paper. So many people say “she’s golden”, but no one has ever seen her, for she is clear and untouchable. Silence, she is strong, searching for the mouth where she belongs.
Children shout, scream, and hop as sound bounces from surface to surface, she sits patiently in a corner waiting. It was later, when the child was sleeping, that she truly comes out to play, she hopped on the sofa and swirls on tables, then a parent comes and flicks on the TV, and just like that, she’s gone. Occasionally she loses the battle to her older brother, he goes by the name “Loud”. When children and young adults are around, him and his sister often argue, they fuss and they fight, occasionally the fighting is more than verbal, it’s physical. Silence does her best and constantly fights back, often she does loose, and her brother is the common victor. But that does not wear down her confidence she steadily pushes forward, constantly fighting her brother, constantly rebelling. Eventually silence does the win, it’s often during the night, when all is sleep and there’s no one left to fuss or fight. Silence may not seem like she’s always the common victor, but in any situation, she comes around. She might not look like she’s going to win, but don’t worry, she’ll stand her ground. For silence always wins, even when there’s no one around to hear it.
Now we know silence is strong, but some of you want to know, what does she look like, what does she feel like? Well, it’s not that easy, silence is what you think it is, what you believe it to be. Silence hasn’t always been that way, she used to be the common victor, back when parents claim children respected their elders and refrained from talking back to mentors. But do you know why it was like that, I think I have the answer. It is because Silence was so strong, some saw her as a monster, not anyone dare speak in her presence, and no one wanted to break her, no one except her brother. But, back then Loud was weaker, and he could not overcome her sister’s strength. People saw her griming hands and their mouths instantly shut, or when they heard her silent giggle, everyone stayed put. If she was a monster staring into my eyes, I’d be afraid to speak too, worried for my demise.
Once I saw her, she came up and touched me with her smooth hands atop my face. She spoke to me, she said, “I am very fragile, be careful with me.” I told her that I would and then she vanished, I wondered why she did, but then it became clear. As my rowdy sister approached the door, in flew Loud. He spun atop my dresser and bounces from wall to wall. I now knew why Silence, I couldn’t deal with that all day, that horrid fool had to go away. I asked him nicely if he would leave, and of course he said no, so I took actions into my own hands. I slammed the door right in their face, my sister and her sound too. Then everything went back to normal, and silence reappeared once more.
What is she, you may ask. Well, really I don’t know. She has so many names it is hard to keep up, but she is mostly known as “Shut up”. Don’t you worry for she is strong and she won’t be away for much too long. For silence is not golden, but it is truly necessary.
Danielle Miller is an aspiring writing, who will be entering the 9th grade this fall at Imhotep Academy in Atlanta, GA.
