LONG LIFE PRAYER
Cradled in sound.
Cradled amongst the ins
And outs of breath, of heart.
Cradled, covered, rocked.
This certain skin touched, warm.
Cradled with word,
Cradled with song.
Cradled in longing,
Cradled in dream.
Swathed,
This long voice,
This sunlit unfolding,
This silken morning air,
These slow, precise moments.
Voice is not
The only voice
(Says the world).
Heart has not
The only song
(Says the slow dusk).
Peace is not
Outside
(Says the river,
Says the floating trees,
Says the flight of wings above,
Says the silence of their passing).
The living sleep, the sleeping dream,
The breathing pauses, the song resumes,
We melt and merge, swathed and cradled.
Delicate is the rainbow,
Impossible to catch.
Delicate the dance:
The balance of remaining.
Cherish and sustain
Uphold and move on.
So little, so few,
A heart to hold all,
A mind of whispers.
Gently, gently,
No lamp flickers.
Scent of evening.
—-
simonhlilly 