Quiet,
softly falling snowflakes cover
the fields, create a wonderland of
sparkling white, sound absent as
a blanket over your head, the
countryside transformed, then
red
the shocking plume of a
cardinal against the snow and
he takes flight through
falling stars so
silent

Copyright ©2025 Lisa Paul
Created for Wea’ve Written Weekly, Jaideep’s is the host. His prompt guidelines:
- Write a poem that starts and ends in silence.
- The first and last lines should directly evoke or describe silence.
- It could be the literal word silence, or imagery that suggests quietness, stillness, or absence of sound.
- The point is to frame the whole poem between two moments of silence.
- Use enjambment to sound like a heartbeat.
- Enjambment means carrying a sentence or phrase over from one line to the next without a pause.
- The short, broken flow can mimic a heartbeat: steady, pulsing, slightly uneven.
- Think of each line as a “beat” that pushes into the next one.
- Keep it to 12 lines, like 12 heartbeats.
- The entire poem is only 12 lines long.
- Each line equals one “pulse,” so the poem itself becomes a heartbeat sequence.
- The brevity forces intensity and rhythm.
- At least once, use a one-word line that makes the reader pause.
- Somewhere in the poem, have a line with only one word.
- This acts like a pause or a sudden strong beat in the rhythm, making the reader stop and notice.
- That single word should carry weight—emotionally, visually, or sonically.
That is one of the things I love best about snow, the vivid contrast. Beautifully done, Lisa.
LikeLiked by 1 person
Thank you for your lovely words! ✨🩵💫
LikeLiked by 1 person
Silence
a hush pressed close
against the ribs
where breath waits
like a door ajar
letting in shadows
and faint
reminders
of love
lost—
each throb louder than prayer
Silence
LikeLiked by 1 person
You have painted a wonderful picture with your words Lisa ❤️
LikeLiked by 1 person
Thank you so much! ✨🩵✨
LikeLiked by 1 person
💕
LikeLiked by 1 person
There’s a lovely soft silence in the picture (and the one you paint with your words) and I can recall times like that in my youth.
LikeLiked by 1 person
Thank you for your lovely words! ✨❤️
LikeLike
You remind me of that feeling I used to get when I lived in Connecticut, standing at the door watching the snow continue to fall. I would love it and feel lucky to see a cardinal bright against all that white.
LikeLiked by 1 person
Cardinals are the state bird of Indiana, and we do have them year round, especially because there are those of us that put out bird feeders for the poor creatures during the winter. Thank you for your lovely comment ✨❤️✨
LikeLiked by 1 person
I am anxiously excited to see what wildlife live near my new home.
LikeLiked by 1 person
Gorgeous word picture! (no actual photo required!) It is a vivid reminder of the beauty of snowfall!
LikeLiked by 1 person
Thank you so very much! ✨❤️✨
LikeLike
Such a beautiful, vivid picture you have painted, Lisa! 🤩
LikeLiked by 1 person
Thank you for your kind words! ✨❤️✨
LikeLike
Such a beautiful evocation of winter. (K)
LikeLiked by 1 person
Thank you! 🤍✨🤍✨
LikeLiked by 1 person
Lisa, your imagery of the cardinal as a “shocking plume” against the snow really stands out to me—such a vivid spark in all that silence.
~David
LikeLiked by 1 person
Thank you, David! 💫❤️✨
LikeLiked by 1 person
🤗
LikeLiked by 1 person
So very lovely! I can see the cardinal taking flight.
LikeLiked by 1 person
Thank you so much! ✨❤️💫
LikeLiked by 1 person
hi, Lisa❣️
Just wanna let you know that this week’s W3, hosted by our beloved Michelle, is now live:
https://skepticskaddish.com/2025/10/01/w3-prompt-179-weave-written-weekly/
Much love,
David
LikeLiked by 1 person
Thank you, David ✨🤍✨
LikeLiked by 1 person
*hug*
LikeLiked by 1 person