OK...I worked my behind off this morning trying to get some thumbnails into my answer, and now, I come back several hours later and there isn't anything here!!!!! Why do the trolls of ezboard pick on me so much!!??!!??? I'm going to try once more, since I kept a copy of what I wrote and stuff.

This is now try number three...Here goes...if it doesn't work this time, I QUIT!!

Everyone perceives silence differently. To one person it is the complete and total lack of noise, be it white, nature or otherwise. To many, it is the sound of nature (which really isn't silent) because people are so noisy. To others, it is the need for inner silence, which allow them to focus and concentrate on self.

For me, silence is a lack of human noise, a place where I can focus and concentrate on my thoughts, my poetry or whatever problem is currently causing me stress.

I have what I call my get-away music, which I can listen to without having to concentrate on, and can allow my mind to wander hither and yon as I float to where I can think clearly and quietly, where my minds eye can see the entire horizon and know what is missing. The ocean is also a place of silence for me, due to the rhythmic and soothing feeling of the tide, along with the pull of the moon, the beauty of the sky at night, the stars and the huge expanse of it all.

I close my eyes and feel the ebb and flow of the water as it alternately laps at the edge of the beach, or the roar I feel deep inside as the tide throws weightless rocks and logs against the unforgiving sand. This is when I am the most calm, centered and least vulnerable when I am able to almost become one with the strength and passion of the ocean.

Janet