Adsctitious

Today's word is "adscititious" ... Added or derived from an external source; additional.

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If you could sit in silence, would you?
If you could, could you? I mean, if you found
a place away from words, spoken or otherwise.
From visions electronically beamed into your brain.
Sounds from radios, TVs, and screens in restaurants,
blasting from CDs, and videos, people talking everywhere,
and just, well ...
found yourself cabined by a lake, or tented by a tree,
or placed absurdly on a mountain top, wearing mittens
and a wool coat ...

What then?

What if you could hear a leaf fall to the ground,
a bullfrog croak, a far-off loon cry, snow slowly slide
down the side of your tent, a stream ripple,
a branch break. But nothing adscititious.
Nothing at all.

Where would your mind meander?
How long before you would talk to yourself,
nervously listening for anything vaguely human?
Anything to blot out the blaring silence.

How long before you felt the need to run ...
back to the chaos, where sound becomes a blanket,
blocking out worrisome thoughts of why
you are where you are, and where you might be
going?

Anne Selleck
Copyright 2013