The phoebe sits on her nest
Hour after hour,
Day after day,
Waiting for life to burst out
From under her warmth.
Can I weave a nest of silence,
weave it of listening,
listening, listening,
Layer upon layer?
But one must first become small,
Nothing but a presence,
Attentive as a nesting bird,
Proffering no slightest wish
Toward anything
that might happen or be given,
Only the warm, faithful waiting,
contained in one’s smallness.
Beyond the question,
the silence.
Before the answer,
the silence.

~ May Sarton, from Beyond the Question, A Grain of Mustard Seed: Poems

Notes:

• Poem: Thank you Beth at Alive on All Channels.
• Photo: Rainy Evenings by Laura Makabresku
• Related Posts: “It’s Been a Long Day“