ode to a still small voice

i want to call you silence, not absence.
i want to call you solitude, not loneliness.
i want to call you stillness, not stagnation.
i want to call you friend,
yet you're dangerously mistaken for foe.

dear silence,
from you, there’s temptation to hide.
dear solitude,
in you, there’s a thought to mourn.
dear stillness,
from you, there’s unknown to fear.
there’s potency in your presence,
so i fear what an encounter will do.

and yet you sweetly summon,
a knock at the door,
an invitation to start again,
let’s reintroduce ourselves,
remember the times we’ve had,
the acquaintances we’ve made.
we have a history,
we’ve been places.
yet i quickly shy behind the mystery,
fickle to forget the deep and formative.

silence, remind me of your sound,
there’s a relationship to repair.
when i find your voice unfamiliar again,
i suspect the worst,
accusing, cold, distant.
when touched again,
we connect,
your voice is homey, safe, and true,
your words honey, sweet, and smooth.

oh solitude, oh stillness,
remind me our friendship.
shy secrets feel both safe and scary,
what i called small seeps up to the surface,
what i called significant settles down to ground.
either way, you change things.
your presence rights reality again,
lies look more lifeless,
truth stands taller,
invited always to the table again.

silence, if you had a word,
what would you say?
solitude, if you had a word,
what would it sound like?
stillness, if you had a word,
what would it do?

so now dear friend,
the conversation ensues,
it becomes easier to remember the good times we’ve had,
best are the timeless times,
and the spacious spaces.
you’ve been only ultimately kind,
to my soul needed more than i knew.
you help me put things in true places,
prioritizing and positioning,
while also pressing and poking.
you know me well,
correcting my chatter,
transforming my mind.
you see my boxes,
minding my gaps,
calming my storms.

ah silence, we meet again,
relenting to the warm embrace.
you’re leaving me better than you found me.
your love still flowing and filling,
according to the number of empty vessels i bring.
you eagerly come and meet,
according to the margins i invite.
you’re always a delightful hang.
to all my spaces come again,
let’s soak in reverence,
you offer gratitude and healing again.

your voice sounds expectant,
wondering around new adventures to begin,
and there’s always more.
so settled from here,
i’m ready to join again,
the sound of the silence,
the still small voice,
i’m leaning in.

i call you silence,
you’re present.
i call you solitude,
you’re close.
i call you stillness,
you’re here.
i call you friend,
you’re welcome.
come again.