Solitude II

The sun will rise soon,
prefaced now
by a glow,
a streak of color
beyond the trees
on the far hill.

This is all that matters now-
the sound of the birds,
the silence of the trees,
and the predictability
of the sun,
now just peeking
over the horizon.

If I had
just one glimpse of this,
it would be a gift.
But morning after morning
begins this way,
always the same,
always different.

So much so
that most of the time,
I don’t even notice,
already caught up
in my plans,
in my thousand thought,
that I don’t look up.

But this morning,
here at the cabin,
my only plans
are to read,
to write,
to walk.

Now the sun
is fully visible
through the trees,
whose leaves are trembling
with the significance,
the sacredness
of this moment.

All day,
I will stop and take note
as the sun makes its way
across the sky.

And this, right here,
is the beauty of solitude.

By Maria Brady-Smith
Photo by Mike Smith