Indeed, I just want a quiet place!
The world is all around me,
Busy on every hand,
The people doing things, all kinds of things.
Creating, moving, storing things,
Selling, buying, fixing things,
Planning, writing, correcting things.
The people are so very busy, running things,
Helping, teaching, listening to and guiding others,
Cooking, cleaning, building, crashing, controlling things,
All ages: busy doing things, going places,
Learning, climbing, hurting, growing, laughing.
Children are playing, running, jumping, twisting,
Old folks are visiting, reading, resting, traveling,
Seeing things, practicing things, driving things.
Eating, walking, buying, mourning.
I just want a quiet place
Where the noise is shut out.
Much of it is good noise, needed noise.
I just want a quiet place!
Sometimes I like noise; sometimes I make noise!
Now I just want a quiet place,
Empty of words, void of talk;
To let my soul rest a while,
To sup the stillness slowly,
To savor the moments, clean of clatter and bang,
To drink the beauty of space free for a while from noise!
To rest my soul!
(November 1996)