embracing the pause

i sit
still and quiet
amidst a forest
blooming
raucous with birdsong
ripe with fresh tendr

ils
apples burst into bloom
elders froth with blossom
and tiny seeds
burgeon with new growth
ready for change
she is, the forest
ready for this warming
this unfurling
this heaving great wave
of springtime growth

i sit
quiet and still
inside myself
content
at ease
aware of how many turbulent waves
i’ve been previously overpowered by
tried to surf on
or simply learned to ride
and yet the waters around me are still not calm
i have found the still point
within me

i sit
still and quiet
though my heart
races with each sound
of hermit thrush
a resonance of aurality
hard to name in words
a titillation akin to
the shocking beauty
of the sound of glass suddenly shattering
i thrill to the sound
belly pulsing with hunger
to hear more

i sit
quiet and still
though my body yearns
to heft each piece of firewood
not for the first time
the endless enjoyment
i feel in the whole cycle of firewood
could pen an entire epic poem
it’s the grain
the heft
the warmth
the living vivid vitality
of each and every log
the practicality of my hands
having touched the log from the beginning
to the ashy end

i sit
still and quiet
though tasks await
chores beckon
day job persists
parenting requires
irritation abides
misperception mistakes
and challenge ensues
but
because
i know how to pause
i reside
at my center
still
and quiet