You are not just inside,
pen in hand, listening.
The bird song that opens
the ears of your heart,
the tire treads pressing
themselves into pavement,
sealing over and over
their rugged love,
the murmured conversation
of dog-walkers—
there you are, too.
Your attention
travels the treetops,
grazes hard ground,
twines into quiet talk,
each passing sound
a sensation,
tender and transient,
life roving through
the stillness
you hold
in this moment.
Photo by Kelly Sikkema