she

without much pretense
holding it all together
like some kind of crystaline intelligence
that assembles bones and sinews
silently,
and in the dark,

ebbing and flowing without grasping at any of it

in her slightest movement,
in the softness of her voice,
and the gentle certainty of her footsteps. . .
i can see so much that may come

as she places tiny pebbles
in rows
while no one is looking

i have some inkling
of her designs
in my own surmise
and in my wishes
for futures untold

i lay no claim on any of it
nor do i seek to modify
her path one jot

but still i lie here
wishing she were by my side,
even were she sound asleep
totally insensate to the outer world

as so many look through her
i see her in profound relief
standing out starkly from what surrounds--
a world of chaos
and callous destruction of all she has been patiently weaving
for the benefit of all

and, even if it is only in my mind,
we seem made to complement and inform each other

without saying a word
i honor her in silence
and let her be just as she is

copyright Peter Asher Watts 2014