I need silence when I write

I need silence when I write. I used to be able to work with the television going because I could ignore the noise. As long I could not see the pictures, I could ignore what the actors or the talking heads were saying. I cannot do that any more, when I hear the television I have to stop whatever I am doing and watch.

writing distractions
people talking or singing
on television

I have not listened to a radio in several years, but I think it would be as distracting as the television. It is interesting how I have changed since I turned fifty. I know that before my fiftieth birthday, I could still listen to television or a radio without becoming distracted. I am not sure when this change occurred, but it was sometime between my fiftieth and sixtieth birthdays.

writing distractions
interrupt mental focus
and the plot is lost

Over the weekend, I attempted to write a poem while the television was on. I turned it on because I thought the house was too quiet, I thought I needed to hear some noise because I felt lonely. The noise did not help the feeling of loneliness and it did not help me to write the poem. I finished the poem, but only after, I turned the television off. That is when I realized I felt as lonely with the television on as I did with it off.

Sunday Morning Silence

In the early morning silence
prayers rises
through the sultry August air.

This is silence of my spirit
not my physical surroundings
because I can hear the hymn
of the central air unit
and the distant echoes
of sleepless city.

Sunday morning silence
surrounds my spirit
with the tranquility
only the Glory of God can bestow.

Prayers intoned
before dawn awakens
Sunday drivers,
who this one day of the week
ignore the price of gas
and the traffic on the express way
on their journey to church.

Prayers intoned
in the darkness of a new week
refresh my soul
and begin my week on
a joyous note.

In the Sunday morning silence
my soul looks forward
to a week
of prayer and work;
both necessary elements
in a successful relationship
with God and humanity.

NOTE: This is a rough drafts of Sunday Morning Silence. It is always good to begin the week praying and writing poetry. The rest of the week goes better and seems less stressful.