THE SERIOUS SILENCE OF SNOW

Silence envelops my street,
my neighborhood.
The man in the moon looks down,
brightens everything,
tells me to be quiet,
puts a sliver of cloud to his lips -
hush, hush.

The silence is born of snow
coming down in sheets,
covering everything,
taking away the noise of streetcars,
buses, horns, laughter.

Everything is waiting.
Time has stopped.
I stand and watch,
feeling my life unwrapping itself,
letting the quiet fill me.


			Lucille Murphy