Now there was a great wind…
but God was not in the wind;
and after the wind an earthquake,
but God was not in the earthquake;
and after the earthquake a fire,
but God was not in the fire;
and after the fire a sound of sheer silence.
—1 Kings 19.11-12
Juvenile hearts, candy-sated, antennae bruised
by brutal onslaught, have to dial way up to hear,
spoiled by flash and sparkle, useless here.
Here light is too loud, even shadows can shout,
deep places, caves, hearts, canyons, stay empty
to receive. Stones are best, they listen slowly,
no cross talk, thoughtless, simple. Neat.
Of seasoned heart, you tune yourself
to silence, the vastness inlaid in the moment,
the infinite tiny here in this deep sliver
of silence. Here is ocean bottom, farthest heaven,
deepest prayer, free of walls of tongues,
of comprehending noise, of knowing’s lie.
Here the Word escapes the words, enlarges
and becomes beyond, within, the listener
and the silence one. Echoes vanish, waves
defining distance null, the Lover now
so fully present here, and deep,
that nothing need be said.
Being looked at.
Being held.
Tarry, and attend.
__________________
Steve Garnaas-Holmes
Unfolding Light
www.unfoldinglight.net
June 20, 2019