the world outside churns in chaos,

powers of light and dark

fighting for control,

while i sit here,

wrapped in the quiet of home

watching a blanket of rain

fall over the cove.

nothing moves

but a gentle sway in the trees,

and a heron gliding through water willow,

searching for food.

his head pans side to side

so slowly you must look twice

to catch the motion.

up close, raindrops cling to surfaces,

tiny prisms

bending whatever light passes through.

ripples drift across the cove,

pushed by an unseen force,

current swaying back and forth.

in the distance, a haze

mutes every color,

leaving only calm.