i
Slow down, my colours are blues and aquamarines,
my friendship is unassuming, like a buttercup;
and wherever I go the quiet comes stealing in,
as on the soft pads of house cats.
This morning two hot-air balloons rose
in the copper light above the difficult city.
And in the wake of a receding prairie train
the silence came stealing in again.
I will tell you a mystery: I was there, in that copper air;
and I am here in your morning, no matter
the human weather, the false positives,
the misguided urgings to cheerfulness,
the depressing constellations of human disguises.
Do not be startled when I say I love you.
The stars are still there in your daylight hours,
and are present, all the nights when you chose not to look.
I am a word, waiting and watching from the pierced side
of a sacred mountain; and I am in you like light,
luminous and moving, incarnadine to tangerine,
healing blues and aquamarines.
ii
Yesterday, we received word that a friend had died.
And in the mail, came a watercolour painting
from the four-year-old daughter of dear friends.
And I was sent a book of Merton’s contemplations
from a person I’ve never met. Oh, the painting?
Of course it was a rainbow: impossible broad stripes,
alive and resplendent.
Bringing me toward tears on a Friday morning in the troubled world.
It was the rainbow that did it.
Thanks so much, Dave. Troubled world, and we go on hoping, praying, waiting.
Beautiful
Thank you, Ananda.
“… the false positives,
the misguided urgings to cheerfulness,
the depressing constellations of human disguises.
Do not be startled when I say I love you.
I’m caught by the juxtaposition of these two thoughts – our vain (in the end) efforts to positive thinking … over against … I am loved!
Thanks,
Thank you for that reading, Sam.
Words like soft sighs from heaven. Thank you.
Thank you, Marcia.
The lines that move me, Stephen are “Do not be startled when I say I love you.The stars are still there in your daylight hours,and are present, all the nights when you chose not to look.” It is so good to have tangible truth as metaphor for the what sometimes feels like the intangible. May the quiet some stealing in over and over again. Even during the nights you choose not to look.
Thanks so much, Ann.
How lovely! The images are beautiful.
Thank you, Margaret.
“my friendship is unassuming, like a buttercup;
and wherever I go the quiet comes stealing in, ”
Something so very lovely, in everything here, peace, hope, love <3 -^-
Thank you so much, Tamara.
Your words flow over me like a healing balm. Thank you for bringing me peace today. Great to meet you.
Thank you for this, Lynne. Your warm response moves my heart. Great to meet you as well.
I receive so much joy and comfort reading your writing, Stephen. And the comments of others reacting to your words enhance the experience, especially when I am catching up on these posts.
I’m blessed by your kindness, Diane. Thanks for this.