“Stay Silent” By Zoe Lauren Higginson

Posted by Barbara Zohar · July 26, 2016

“Silence can be found in many places,

In an empty house, once a cherished family home,

In a cold forest, now covered in a blanket of snow,

In a mountain, the only sounds are echoes...”

Echoes ricochet off lonely rock,

From the saddened sparrow on crooked tree,

Which looks down at the skull solemnly,

The mighty wolf once howling proud

Is now silent

And will never speak a sound.

For its life was taken,

Bound by bonds of hate,

Howls of life dissipate

Into the cold night,

As bright as the moon may shine,

Plants of honor divine

Sprout up from cold dirt, damp from tears.

The sparrow cheers:

“New life is found in the coldest places,

and will shine brightest, in solemn faces”

Symbolism in “Stay Silent”

The idea of a wolf skull bound by black tape at the muzzle was influenced by three of the artists on exhibit at The Aldrich Contemporary Art Museum. The wolf skull was inspired by David Brooks and represents falling apart, with the object’s insides being revealed and viewed by others. The skull is what's left of a wolf, and its skeleton (skull) can easily be viewed from the top by viewers. The black duct tape over the muzzle was inspired by Kim Jones, as evidenced by the fact that the wolf was bound during death, immobile, and hurt in a world where speaking out and being strong and joyful are frowned upon by some. This happens in the real world, too; some people are so unhappy and insecure with themselves that they point out and criticize the things that makes somebody else who they are. For instance, if a person is naturally very loud and it annoys the unhappy person, the unhappy person will try to make the loud person feel less sure of themselves by telling them that their loud voice is a flaw. The plants included in my art were inspired by Virginia Overton; these represent the fact that beauty can be found in the strangest places: life (the plants) can be found in death (the skull).