POETRY | PEACE | HUMANITY | NATURE
Some Contemplations in Stillness
Tanka Prose
Reading newspapers and hearing the news is no longer a delight: A delight that shaped my curious-studious childhood and growing-up years, and gave me beautiful insights into the world, improved my language. Instead, I see only a piece of the world from my room’s windows. I perceive the daily bedlams… the not-so-clear-and-close voices… voices muffled that I can hardly comprehend.
Tiny blackbirds chirp whenever they want. They’re so naive, ignorant of the agony surrounding us. Even the agony surrounding their own - the declining presence of sparrows in some parts of the skies, at least mine.
One blackbird comes close to the threshold of a flowerpot while a fearless lone squirrel hops on the electric line from one end to another - this is magic - better than all the news I may read and hear… of pain and destruction in my country and the world… news culled from open accents, both alien and friendly, from airs on television, from fonts in the newspapers.
Despite the not-so-clear-and-close voices, evenings have their shining lights and busier phones. Yet, there seems to be some stillness everywhere, perhaps within me, spilling over to the ambience around me… for reasons known and unknown.
