Lento

Slowing to a halt,
though not a screeching one;
a quiet release
from the burdens and ties
of a driven life
into the arms of silence,
only for the sake of contemplation.

From within an apprehended softness and serenity,
the elements wait to cherish
and to be cherished by
this bit of earth,

embellished, molded and emboldened
into such glory of motion,
as can carry a beating heart that sings
— all nights and mornings meted —

during this most singular unfolding.

Chosen into silence,
more than choosing,
this respite from heedless racing
toward no-end-in-sight
is a mindful pause,
a backward glance,
a look 'round —
in light and dark,
at twilight and dawn
— to see that what there is
truly is there to be and be seen,
changing the yet unchanged,
unbidden and unrestrained.

This time is liminal,
a bathing in the spa of
all possibility,
a training and preparation for
that peace that will visit
when yet a greater silence invades,
enveloping comprehension
like a shroud.

© 2016 by Elisabeth T. Eliassen