It Was A Quiet Day

It has been such a hot dry summer,
And I stood on the bridge
Looking at the shallows in the river.
I wondered if the salmon could come upstream yet.
There was so little water,
Even the trout seemed quiet.

Idly standing there
I noticed a drop of water
From the recent shower
Fall from a branch and strike a berry
Hanging near me.

And in that moment I could see
Everything in the droplet’s fall,
And the berry’s gentle swing.
Everything and everywhere
Were in that moment —
In each moment and its movement.

The sun, the wind,
The Earth’s slow circling,
Clouds and living things,
All had taken part
In the production
Of that moment.

It was a quiet day.
I spoke to no one.
What need was there?
In every moment — everywhere.

Then time was so wonderful,
When for years I had longed
For it to halt.
There had been too many days
Testing my life
And asking so much.

But now I wanted to look
At everything,
So grateful for spaces
Between things,
And that it all came
One thing at a time
So I could appreciate
Each new thing.

Copyright ©2003 Tony Crisp