The Moment

So much of each day is settling in,

Aligning time with things to do.

Marking off duties and chores, wanting a much richer score.

Many may deny its so, but having a moment is our deepest desire.

A wished for embrace filling expectations, giving sublime realizations.

We hunger for moments like these,

morning, mid-day, and in fading light.

Anticipated but beyond command

Moments appear suddenly in open doors.

We pine for them, then yield too easily to daily distraction.

And our contrived invitations feel like awkward manipulations.

When it comes, such moments force a stop;

Demands rest from persistent endeavor.

Moments come without working a plan, or achieving goals and do not offer escape to the promised land.

The moment dies under persistent anticipation.

The moment dawns as it pleases.

The moment refreshes when it comes.

If received with some humility,

The moment creates real presence:

As toes sink into wet sand,

And the current swirls around bare legs,

Sucks the sand from under feet.

Draws sudden alert,

Takes one’s balance.

In the moment work ceases;

Activities become burdens.

Routine retreats to the backseat.

In the moment heat and cold recede,

Time goes on infinite vacation,

As breezes caress the body, enters the soul,

Mind goes blind to reverie,

And the moment offers nonverbal clarity.

Treat every moment reverently.

For it flies away on hummingbird wings if challenged by human expectations

Or if ignored for some urgency.

Yet a moment can last a good while, but never quite long enough,

It’s more than a reprieve from worry and unfinished deeds,

The moment feels heaven sent.

Blessing your earth and sky,

Collapsing your time and place,

beyond human imagination,

Such moments of redeeming grace must be savored.

Bask in each one luxuriously.

And from the perception gain rare intimations in its sacred space.

THH

5/26/24