The Listening Bridge
by Ingrid Goff-Maidoff
Listen, heart, to the whispering of the World.
That is how it makes love to you.
— Rabandranath Tagore
When you come to the listening bridge,
you must be still there long enough
for the squirrels to sense you are of no harm;
for the birds to break their silence with singing
and fluttering of wings; and for you,
and everything around you, to stop holding its breath.
and so, sit. Rest a while.
Give some wonder to the moss and purple violets.
Turn toward the sun and feel it warm your face.
Notice the rippling current of the spring-fed stream.
Allow a sense of softness to splash and filter in.
Trade the weight of all your seriousness
for the lightness of surrender-
by which I mean faith in a Presence
lovingly wiser than your self.
Remain quiet and listen
for what the voice born of stillness
might say: perhaps, simply:
Love. Carry on. Practice Kindness.
Have affection for this day.
Hear me read The Listening Bridge on YouTube