Sit

The rocking chair collapsed
under me,
pieces of old wood strewn
in every direction,
and I, on the floor,
with kindling all around.
To sit
can be a dangerous thing.
Still, it serves us well
to find a quiet place
to be,
perhaps to watch the clouds
shift shape across the sky,
or to close your eyes
and listen to nature's morning overture
before the pause, the silence
of the busy mind, at rest.
Memories bubble up,
or whispers of ideas struggling
to be born,
or the heart's deepest prayer.
Everything else may seem
to fall apart,
even the chair,
but it is usually good
just to sit,
to listen, to wait.

--Timothy Haut, March 8, 2016