waking up early
sitting in the stillness of the lake
with the birdsong
of 9 different birds
captivated.
—
“your head is a living forest full of song birds”
-ee cummings
—
art credit: beth conklin – Song Birds
“have you ever heard the wonderful silence just before the dawn? or the quiet and calm just as a storm ends? or perhaps you know the silence when you haven’t the answer to a question you’ve been asked, or the hush of a country road at night, or the expectant pause of a room full of people when someone is just about to speak, or, most beautiful of all, the moment after the door closes and you’re alone in the whole house? each one is different, you know, and all very beautiful if you listen carefully.”
-norton juster, the phantom tollbooth
—
huron river, ann arbor, mi, usa – january 2022
not my class, but looks like they’re playing the game too.
—
when our class needs a break to calm down and relax
we play ‘the quiet game’
(an idea my daughter used when babysitting years ago)
which consists of nothing but lying down
not moving or making noise
yes, you can blink and breathe
last person left is the winner
sometimes there’s not even a winner
they just love to play
they even ask to play
i tell them they’ve been so good
of course we can play
a win-win, i’d say.
—
“quiet is peace. tranquility. quiet is turning down the volume knob on life.
silence is pushing the off button. shutting it down. all of it. – Amir”
― Khaled Hosseini, The Kite Runner
—
image credit: google images
a new garden begins
in the first spring
spent at my home
first things first
a door is decorated
tiny flowers are planted
shells and stones and treasures and glittery things
are scattered
leaving room for more to come
the fairies are welcome
to visit and stay at their leisure
i’ll listen very quietly.
-minnie aumonier