The great silence

The Great Silence is not
just that time when the convent
goes quiet for the night,
nuns separate to their own cells,
and you can hear the angels breathe,
that interlude between Compline
and Vigils.  At every parting
bells toll the resounding peace
that can be mistaken for
abandonment.  Don’t be deluded.
That hush so abounds with
the silence of stars that we
can’t help but draw nearer and
nearer into the astounding
distance.

-- Patricia Campbell Carlson