The First Lesson by Laurie Duncan[Peace, silence, purpose, meaning.T. Merton.]
This is the lonely art, this love, a mortal origami,
folding and unfolding hearts and hands. Unaware
of the shape a soul must take, I rise and leave
as open as this pagea love letter to the winter air,
unsigned. I own no words or forms and know no prayer
so sacred as the silence of dark when I forget my face.
All names and sounds sharpen the edges unfelt
Between you and I: the you I seek, the you that sees
each obscure dance of knees and dirt and feet that sing
upon gravel, leaves, feathers and bone, brown and brilliant,
this all burning earth. You, the dust, you, the cold floor,
you who hold me up and teach me to look to heaven.
Yet as quick and wide as eyes can open, flicker
I miss you, cannot catch the face I feel just beyond.
Easy passing forms blind my eyes to mirror only
The surface of lifesnow along the mountains,
clouds before the sunso I am learning to listen.
And this is a lonely art, waiting for glaciers to speak
And stones to singbut to hear their answer!
Into the blue calm above the rising winds,
In the little death between each beat, each breath,
Somewhere, in the hollows even atoms hold,
This love fully unfolds the purpose of time
In rhythms for every blooming, dancing thing.
And it is good that you reveal with the patience
of ages, the low tremble of continents, and speak
so slowlywe are still learning to listen.
01/14/2008 Posted on 01/14/2008 Copyright © 2025 Laurie Duncan
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