And Silence Makes it So

AND SILENCE MAKES IT SO

By Hyperion

way down in the dying land

the darkness seems to know

i will take you by the hand

and silence makes it so

travel light and mark your path

the darkness seems to know

otherwise you face its wrath

and silence makes it so

if you get there before i

the darkness seems to know

keep the vigil; danger’s nigh

and silence makes it so

heed the twilight of the day

the darkness seems to know

growing black and bleeding gray

and silence makes it so

your journey came to crossroads’ deep

the darkness seems to know

you bowed and made new vows to keep

and silence makes it so

your path forever altered there

the darkness seems to know

the burden yours to never share

and silence makes it so

severed ties are on your mind

the darkness seems to know

those you scorned and left behind

and silence makes it so

now i am your master true

the darkness seems to know

be still and know i come for you

and silence makes it so

way down in the dying land

the darkness seems to know

i will take you by the hand

and silence makes it so

This poem is called a “dirge”, which is a funeral song. I was inspired by the immortal Lyke Wake Dirge. The set up is that the second and fourth line of each stanza is the same. The trick—and it’s not easy—is to get each stanza to be relevant to the repeated refrain, but still different. The Lyke Wake Dirge is written in an older vernacular of English, so may be a tad tricky to understand, but read it out loud. You’ll get it. My dirge is also meant to be read out loud, so if you can, it will greatly make the experience better.