Listening

 

Listening is peace.

Listen to the most distant sound you can hear.

A seal barking from a wild rocky island across the water.

Now the rustle of a nest-building robin

in the bush by your window.

Listen to the bells of the red winged black bird

in the rushes by the stream,

and the silence between them.

Now you can hear the stream.

You can hear the moon in daylight.

Listening is peace.

Cast the blessing

of gratitude

across vast spaces

just by listening, which is prayer.

And as if it were a song,

listen to your breath, flowing in,

flowing out.

The stars will teach you your name.

And you will hear the ancient story

of the present moment,

filled with the clamor of

shields and spears,

the clash of wings,

the bronze promise of heavy-laden ships

on the blue horizon,

the flaring and dying out of suns,

in the atoms your body.

Cast the blessing of gratitude

across vast spaces

just by listening.
Listening is peace.

Mt. Rainier, by Erick Ramirez