The slow, hushed world of late evening
Invites me to become part of its beauty and harmony.
I enter and inhabit the welcoming night
To glide with a gentle breeze through deep shadows.
A placid lake mirrors the vast and exquisite firmament.
My fingertips disturb undulating reflections of crescent moon and distant stars.
Near the opposite shore, a shimmering surface illuminates sleeping mangrove.
This precious moment seeks neither purpose nor reward.
Night promises the deepest, most rewarding meditation,
But I have no need to seek, discover, or find.
New meanings and understandings are unnecessary.
I allow the night to permeate mind and body,
Influencing me as it chooses.
Shadows soften the visual to its essence.
Darkness induces the illusion of a simpler, more perfect world,
Hiding the disorder and confusion of harsh, blinding daylight.
Starlight and silence displace dazzling noisy intrusions
To heal yesterday's wounds from the piercing, driving clamor.
Troubling thoughts fade to oblivion.
Within a surreal sleeping universe, I recline with ease and grace,
Sinking slowly, gently down, into a soothing oasis of calm.
With no unwanted distraction, serenity is liberated.
Peace and comfort find me and reach to hold my hand.
The gentle cloak of night enfolds me, and I drift . . .
Through Orion. . . beyond infinity. . . at one with the cosmos.
Breathing deeply, I close my eyes.
I rest. . . find calm. . . and dream.
Will Walsh