(x = space)
x
x
monday protest
x
get up
listen to the noise
and go
and this is how it starts
x
a day
in the modern world
x
no,
thank you
iI’ll stay here
in the drab place
and time
x
of dark and cold
of sleep
and safety
well
x
i won’t grow up
not i
x
if you must leave
i’ll stay
x
c l couch
x
photo by eduardo mallmann on unsplash
x
(x = space)
x
x
Servicing
x
God,
I often talk to you
In thought
Do you hear me?
I hope so,
Because I rarely
Think about it
Twice
x
Do you need
The uttered word?
I’d think
You wouldn’t,
Though maybe
My part
Is to speak
x
I think I let you in
A while ago,
You see
And while you’re
There
You might as well
Have the run
Of the place
Including the talking parts
That happen
On the inside
x
Life in the Spirit,
I believe,
With an angel’s assist
I hope it works
This way
I’ll pray out loud
As well
x
C L Couch
x
x
Photo by Emil Widlund on Unsplash
x
(x = space)
x
x
Anchorite Devotion
x
I cherish
Quiet in a cup
To drink
When I need some
Peace on a plate
When a bite is needed
Some silence in the air
But not so much
We cannot hear
The songs
Of earth and sky
The thrumming from beneath
To feel
The sighing from so high
We dare not
On an ordinary day
To try
x
A homespun layer
Maybe two layers
For the day
And through the night
A few words of friendship
And a few more
Then intimate,
Unspoken words
With God
x
There is a book
Of hours and another
Sometimes wisdom’s
In the page
In the part between
The letters
As well the illustrations
The space in which
We first learn
That blank space is the quiet
We may go there
Then to learn
About the mystery
The text
And images support
But can’t fill yet
As if to know the words
To speak with angels
And with animals
And with the air
x
All things the creator makes
To set in humming motion
x
C L Couch
x
x
Statue of Julian of Norwich by David Holgate, west front, Norwich Cathedral.
By Poliphilo – Own work, CC0, https://commons.wikimedia.org/w/index.php?curid=19972764
x
(x = space)
x
x
Quiet Start
x
I am quiet
And for a change
The building’s quiet
I have ordered food
Staples, that kind of thing
It should be arriving
In two hours
Or less
x
It’s a breathing moment
When the sun is considering
Fully rising
Though it’s tussling
With some clouds
I like this time
I wish my coffeemaker
Wasn’t broken
x
But I’ll take this
For a Friday morning
Pray for all the tragedies
By nature and by us
Do some plain old
Wishing, too,
As if I had an unironic genie
Who would simply give me
What I wish
Even world peace
Or something like that
x
C L Couch
x
x
Dandelions are everywhere in Finland in Spring!
Photo by Saad Chaudhry on Unsplash
x
(x = space)
x
x
A Quiet Place
(a sequel)
x
A song
A horror movie
A hyped-up culture
Maybe doesn’t want one
But I do
x
Something calm
With windows large enough
To witness nature
As it passes
With sun or wind
Or snow or rain,
Things better watched
And heard
From inside
With ceilings high enough
So I could imagine a cathedral
Rather than
A cave
(it’s all right—I am imaginative)
A place to live with my own noise
That is modified respectfully
With regard to
Neighbors whom
I might get to know
x
C L Couch
x
x
New Forest Lane
Photo by Annie Spratt on Unsplash
New Forest National Park, United Kingdom
[cathedral]
x
The Hours
It is a quiet day so far
The only noise I hear is mine
Short steps here and there
The creaking microwave
(yes, it creaks when working
sometimes me, too)
Soft murmurs from the television
The illusion that we’re
Interacting
It shouldn’t have to be
The start of a campaign
A march for quiet times for
For writing or whatever
I’m grown: I should have it
When I need it
Raise some noise
When I want to
Otherwise, the timing of a cenobite
Who wishes only to be left alone
In prayer
A world of prayer
In which the supplicant, petitioner
Enjoys a pure way filled with silent atoms
Paving the way
For all the calls, complaints,
Requests to God
Sometimes too much, I think
The hermit should get out more
If at all
There is a world
The one prayed for
We should know it better
Before closing off
To help it
A fortress of solitude?
Is that why the heroes need one?
Shut oneself off
To better understand
The causes that we fight for
Extract ingredients from the bowl
Before they’re mixed again
Before we fly back to Metropolis
To take it all on
Again
C L Couch
Photo by Keenan Constance on Unsplash
A Cool, Dark, Quiet Place
For optimal sleep, this is the
Room we need, certain
Voices say, though I think the sense
In it (in that) might be apparent
To reach out to the left or right
Then bring it in
Like muscles with a game ball
Lights out maybe with a care toward
Preplanning disorientation
From lack of light
We’ll need something soft, too, for
Our belly or our hip or our butt
Plus something for our head
Resting to the side or back or somehow with
The face pressed down
The coolness comes from moving air
Though climate control has become a
Denser thing, inside
As for quiet, we are on a noisy planet
Where some think noise is just for them
And could it harm the rest of us?
Let’s not think about that
In our cars,
On top of our neighbors
(I’m not bitter)
Cool, dark, quiet
And we sleep
I tend to think we figure
Other things might go that way—
Sex and, yes, well, rock ‘n roll
The play when that’s the thing
Our time in movie houses
Maybe for some exercise of other
Sorts, a walk at night, escorted,
Maybe in the rain
So I think we should vote for this
Approve efforts to make it happen
Good night to you
God keep you
God buy you
Goodbye
C L Couch
Photo by Ryan Searle on Unsplash
Heal’s, London, United Kingdom
A Quieted Place
A quiet place
A song
A horror story
Someplace where we want to be
Sometimes
A park
The parking lot at the stadium
Night with lights outside
Inside with a candle
Or with nothing
But our senses
As they are
I carry the noise
You might
And so must have another
Point and counterpoint
To make a wash of sound
And give me (us) echoes of the sea
Or some such ambiance
For peace
C L Couch
Photo by Amanda Flavell on Unsplash
Quiet
I wake up and no one’s
There
The noises of the house remain
My sister’s probably in her office
On a conference call
My brother-in-law in the master
Bedroom getting ready
What a brief time it takes
To get used to company
It all feels strangely empty
The house without its people
I have entered from another place
Where loneliness is normal
But I have changed
In such a short time
I’ve picked up sibling silence
And placed it in my pocket
C L Couch
Photo by JAYAKODY ANTHANAS on Unsplash
clcouch123 
Recent Comments