The workshop put on by Julie Stevens in Jan 2025 included a poem by Chrissie Gittins - The Little Bottle of Silence, to me this was about powerful momentary silence that exist adjacent to somewhat explosive but brief noise and bottling the silences to enjoy on other occasions. My poem reflected an apparent inability to experience any silences long enough to capture or bottle them.

My brain is not efficient in keeping and enjoying silence

It’s not great at accepting, let alone retaining this luxury

Like an inept gamekeeper

Where the poachers always seem to have the upper hand

Noise invariably triumphs over silence

Silence is brief and infrequent

Noise constant, where just the level alters

There is only one place and time

When the brain will finally allow silence any permanence