Hebrews 4:12, Ephesians 6:17
Christ of the Silence,
what binds your lips together?
How we must be patient
and wait for your presence
to ______ the forged steel of our words,
knowing that silence
never rests,
is as malleable as gold,
easily contorted by an ____, a curse,
a rage sparking in our shared air.
Christ of the Silence,
how I need to know your stillness,
I who have proven myself a fool
with my tongue; come, cut it out
with your __________ sword.
© Colin Dardis
Picture 10531226, Christ of the Silence, by Odilon Redon, 1895-8, image copyright Mary Evans / Roger-Viollet
Colin Dardis is a neurodivergent poet, editor and sound artist from Northern Ireland. His work, largely influenced by his experiences with depression and Asperger’s, has been published widely throughout Ireland, the UK and USA. His books include Apocrypha: Collected Early Poems (Cyberwit, 2022), All This Light In Which To See The Dead: Pandemic Journals 2020-21 (Rancid Idols Productions, 2022), Endless Flower (Rancid Idols Productions, 2021) and The Dogs of Humanity (Fly on the Wall Press, 2019). www.colindardispoet.co.uk.