Restoration

It always seems to happen in an instant

Going about the ways and the waves of summer

And in the unfolding of just a day, there is change

The sun still beats and the hydrangeas wither and beg for mercy

But the shadows sweep the width of the sidewalk

And 4 pm doesn't feel as heavy as it did just a few days before

The light shifts and my intentions go with it

I make a notation in my journal

as if I can capture the algorithm of the whimsy of creation

These transitional days wake the ancient songs that swirl and swill in my blood

The heartbeats and voices of ancestors whispered from the haze on the horizon

"Stay" they say from under the thin veil

 An invitation to the present moment 

A sacred seeing of the now that lets me loosen my grip on yesterday

And the tender release of the anticipation of 1000 tomorrows

September surrenders with the sunset and my body sinks into restoration

I will stay. I will stay. I will stay.