Silence (Written near Monterey Bay)
- Silence (Written near Monterey Bay)
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Ritchoe Lovejoy at the scen of a boat wreck on the Monterey coast, circa 1948. [End Page 96]
We felt proud of our youth, I remember,As though it were something we had given ourselves,We sat on the rock over the cove, I remember,And listened to the silence together.It was long ago, but seems only yesterday.Peace in the trees; over the water:And even the birds became voiceless.Only the waves lapping, and they like silence.
Ritchie Lovejoy was the close friend of John Steinbeck and his first wife, Carol. Lovejoy and his wife Natalya (Tal) were part of the group that regularly assembled at Ed Ricketts' lab. Steinbeck wanted to assist Lovejoy's career as a writer, though he also had significant talents as an illustrator. The text and permission to print this poem were given to the Steinbeck Review by his son, John Lovejoy.
