In Silence

Written for Living Poetry. Bartholomew asks
us to write an “is” and “is not” list poem.
Here’s where the prompt took me.

Silence is not emptiness.
It is the held breath before the answer.

Silence is not agreement.
It is sometimes the loudest refusal in the room.

Silence is not forgetting.
It is the name you carry but cannot say aloud.

Silence is not distance.
it is the intimate warmth of closeness.

Silence is not absence.
It is presence without the noise of proof.

Silence is not surrender.
It is knowing which battles dissolve
when you stop feeding them words.

Silence is not cold.
It is the blanket pulled up
after everything has been said.

Silence is not the end of a conversation.
It is often where the real one begins.

NAR©2026

This is “Silent Lucidity” by Queensrÿche

Monday Poetry Prompt: Is and Isn’t

^{Everything on The Elephant’s Trunk was created by me, unless otherwise indicated. Thanks for your consideration. NAR©2017-present.}