In the whisper where striving falls silent
where the heart unclenches its tired fists
something gentle begins to unfold

No blaze
nor trembling vision
just a simple clearing of the inner sky

In slow-moving mercy
I believed in what I could not see
because I now see what has always been true
     fear distorts
     pride builds walls
     longing aches for what it cannot name

And in that seeing
God meets me

No thunder
     just presence
no force
     just nearness
rearranging my soul without a sound

Contemplation is this quiet rearranging
the steady work of grace
shapes me back
into who I am meant to be

It is the place where love becomes real
where truth becomes clear
where my scattered self
is reassembled in Him

In stillness
I am reborn