In the Quiet
The refrigerator motor breathes out as it settles down
in the six a.m. silence. The day inhales,
leaning toward light. I wait, keep track as tree-tops go golden,
this side of the planet receiving its sun-gifts with gratitude.
Watching, writing, I feel unlikely here, almost accidental.
In the quiet, I sense a line to a faraway someone from centuries past—
an Irish monk, maybe—sitting in a dim room, keeping watch
at dawn, as I do, both of us honoring words
that fall out of silence onto the page.
….
This poem is from the chapbook Enchantment by Karen Leahy (Finishing Line Press), and can be found at https://www.finishinglinepress.com/product/enchantment-by-karen-leahy/
Karen Leahy is the author of the memoir, The Summer of Yes: An Ex-Nun’s Story, which won the Benjamin Franklin Award for memoir from the Independent Book Publishers Association. Poems of hers have been published in two collections of writings about illness from Fairview Press and in several anthologies. Karen has taught writing at a number of venues including public libraries, an assisted living facility, and a senior center, frequently arranging public readings for the participants’ families and friends. Raised in Ohio as one of 10 children, Karen has lived in the New York area for over 50 years.
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