A shock of silence inside your mind
a sudden startling absence
of the ever-present chatter
and the ever-present pressure
and the ever-present ego — a crowded noisy auditorium
that’s suddenly completely empty.
The crazy dictator who controlled your life
standing at your shoulder, judging and criticizing,
interfering with every impulse
distorting every situation
has mysteriously disappeared — at least for now.
His great palace is suddenly deserted
his ornate bed is empty and unmade
his lavish breakfast left half-eaten
his ministers have fled the country.
And the heavy humid atmosphere of oppression lifts
the air that bristled with mistrust and fear
breezes softly and lightly against your face
and your being, clenched tight like a fist,
relaxes and opens to free-flowing space.
to relish this strange stillness
that seeps beyond the boundaries of your self
this silence that is more than the absence of noise
this stillness that is more than the absence of activity —
a living silent stillness, a force field
swirling with subtle energies.
Perhaps the dictator will return to power
or another madman will replace him
but now that you’ve sensed the silence
now that you know how spacious and still you are
life will never be the same.
The dictator will never completely control you again;
a part of you will always be beyond his reach.
Freedom will always glimmer inside you.