How Do I Listen to Thee?

 

In my morning practice

I listen to the words and sentences

And the whispers in between.

 

When a challenge arises in my day

I listen to the quiet voice

That helps me find my way.

 

While I work,

Does my computer hum or grind?

I listen.

 

I note the music playing in my mind.

Is it harp, flute

Or heavy metal?

With my mantra

I easily change the station.

 

I listen to the TV, what the characters say

To my cat and whether she purrs or claws

To the cashier at the grocery checkout

The bumper sticker on the car in front of me.

 

I listen to my friends

Their faces teary-eyed, anguished or beaming

In my presence.

 

I listen as I eat

Read the Beloved’s sentences between bites

Ponder each as I chew.

 

On my daily walk

I listen to the ravens caw

Relish the way the clouds skid across the blue.

 

When I sleep

I listen to my dreams

Note who I meet

And what they say.

 

When voices yell and berate

I call on the Beloved

To turn them gray.

 

I listen to the silence of eternity.

 

All is Thee

Whispering to me

How to be

Love.