Serenity

Beyond the window there
 three trees--two maples and a fir,
 a patch of grass, a honeysuckle
 bush not yet in bloom.

 They are doing their great work:
 anchoring the earth and breathing in
 and out to give a great gift to the air.

 In here I share the silence that is theirs.
 I light a pure white candle
 and let it, too, proceed
 to do its work: to shine in silence,
 gather peace for me
 in its soft radiance
 from all four corners of the room.

 I make a cup of tea and break
 a wondrous scone
 a friend has made.

 In silence, too, I have my work
 to do. Breath in, breathe
 out, ask blessings on
 my body's earth,
 and ask for grace
 to give my own gift
 back to the holy air.

--Sr. Eileen Lomasney, CSJ Ballston Lake, N.Y.