The deafening ringing you get when the house goes to sleep and you're wide awake, the silence that works as a weapon when a big fight comes to an indefinite end, the muffled noise you hear when you tune out every thing in a crowded train. Silence. It helps to freeze time and capture emotion or intensify tension. It voices thoughts answers questions that words shy away from. It helps to rationalise thoughts, trigger new emotion, or intensify current ones. Silence disgraces a mother, reflects her guilt and brings glory to a self-righteous daughter. It shames a father and provides proof for a bad deed he had done.
Silence can be a warning sign screaming: DANGER IS AROUND THE BEND.
It can also be a comforting lullaby singing: It is safe for now.
It can be a sign of victory, and a desperate cry for help.
How can so much be contained in nothing at all?