The sun rises soon and the sparring will resume
How at peace you are
How close to what I intended as you sleep in stillness
No task, no consciousness
Helpless, asleep, and quiet
Even before your rest, you yourself chose the time that this bliss will end
You rise to come at anything standing in your way
Before even a knock had come at your door
You burst forth to conquer and compete
So afraid of yourself
So unaware of the peace and stillness that had taken you by necessity
As if rest were erased, you rise to aggress
You leave me with no choice
My eyes and my eyes alone see the innocent toward which you unabashedly barrel
How I want - just for a moment - to take your hand
Lead you, heal you
I stand in your way so that you will trample over me instead
My own reputation I put on the line for the sake of your prey
I must protect those who have done you no wrong
Other than to exist without your consent
What pointless pursuits have brought you to exhaustion
What damage you have done in your fight for your want
I hang, battered and bruised
I am put away; you know it not
You think only of the hours of rest, seemingly wasted
Until you start again
O, that you would remain in your slumber
*****
Call this what you will; a poem, creative writing piece, I don't know. The speaker is God. It came to me as I was on an early morning walk in my neighborhood. 5:00 a.m. Everything is so peaceful and everyone is asleep, and I was deeply struck by the stark difference between the world at rest and the world at work. Each new day brings more fighting and discord, more selfish pursuits. The closest we get to what God intended for us and our society is when we are asleep.
