The Gift of Advent Silence

I have John Marchese of the Quixote Center to thank for these words of introduction and closing, and the incomparable Nikki Giovanni for the poem.

“Silence sometimes offers a window into the truth of the world around us – who and what can be heard and who or what is being silenced or oppressed,” John notes.

Listen to what the poet has to say:

WE
           
            we stood there waiting
                        on the corners
                        in the bars
                        on the stoops
                        in the pews
                        by the cadillacs
                        for buses
                        wanting for love
                        watching to see if hope would come by
            we stood there hearing
                        the sound of police sirens
                        and fire engines
                        the explosions
                        and babies crying
                        the gas escaping
                        and the roaches breeding
                        the garbage cans falling
                        and the stairways creaking
            we listened
                        to the books opening
                        and hearts shutting
                        the hands rubbing
                        the bodies sweating
            we were seeing the revolution screeeeeeeeeeeeeeching
                        toa halt
                        trying to find a clever way
                        to be empty.

“May we learn to be silent when our voices would silence those of others, especially the oppressed. By listening to silence and seeking out its causes, may we cultivate our own authentic prophetic voices and amplify the voices of others whom we may not always have heard.”