“23 Years of Solitude” by Charlie Pappalardo

I heard this story one time

About a hermit in a forest.

When he was 19 he drove as far as he could

Abandoned his car

And lived alone for 23 years.

All in search of silence.

I doubt he ever found it though.

Because I don’t know anyone who is truly silent.

Silence isn’t just a lack of sound,

It’s a lack of wanting to say more

Or to do more

Or to think more

Or to be more.

To be silent I think a person would have to truly be content with what they have

And I don’t think a man running from something

Is truly content.

We all have a voice inside that we cannot silence.

That judges what we encounter

and tinges what we see.

And I think we all want to get away from that sometimes.

What I wouldn’t give to be able to walk into a forest

And experience without thought.

To see a tree as a tree,

Or a deer as a deer,

Or to swim in a lake

With a heart free from fear.

Maybe that’s what he was looking for

Not clarity of thought

But rather the lack of it.

Like I said I doubt he ever found it.

Charlie Pappalardo is a writer and poet majoring in Political Science and Economics