Be Still

Blank Verse by Joy Moore

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You’re unable to feel
and that is okay.
You are numb you are bruised you are raw.

Through the nights that are endless
the highs and the lows
through the mountains and gorges of aches.

Try to savor the moments
that fall in between
taste the sweet, fill your lungs, and be still.

Above all the noise
below all the fuss
there’s a pause, that’s a breath, like a salve.

It’s a coffee at sunrise
with a nest that’s a home
and the giggles of children you love.

It’s exploring a pathway
of golden tree leaves
with chestnuts and robins and elk.

It’s the muffle of snowflakes
or the crackling of ice with
your blanket and socks and a fire.

Smell the trace of a pine tree
the scent of a newborn
the whiff of baked bread in the oven.

You are strong, you are weak
you are brave, you are broken
your world fell apart - but you’re here.

See the dew on the grass
that shimmers like diamonds
each drop a reflection of light.

It’s the times in between
when the struggles - ebb
close your eyes, take a breath, and be still.

It’s the breeze in your hair
it’s the waves on the beach
or the patter of rain when you nap.

It’s the tiny and small
not the large or the grand
it’s knowing you’ve walked through a fire.

The more beauty you see,
The more grateful you grow.
Hold to the moments between.

Through despair and through hope
through the pain and the peace
through the happy and harshness of life.

Each hush is a block.
Each linger a beam.
That grounds a new firmness in you.

For the joy is a whisper
try to bask in the calm.
Own your scars and stand tall and be still.

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Joy Moore’s previous published works include Wiggle-Wiggle, Scratch-Scratch-, Itch-Itch-Itch with Houghton Mifflin Harcourt, and many magazine articles and poems.

In addition, she is a developmental and line freelance editor. View more of her work at word-painting.com