When The Night Breathes Shallow
When the night breathes shallow upon weary bones,
and the promise of dawn weighs heavy in the
nighttime sky...so long seem the hours
when the heart is burdened and the soul
clings desperately to the hope of
a brighter day.
'Serenity to accept the things I cannot change'
echos against these walls built from cherished
memories - those where as a child I danced
upon my fathers feet, staring up into blue
eyes that shone bright as the midday sun;
where peace was found in his kiss upon my
cheek and the sound of 'I love you' as
he turned out my bedroom light and
ushered me to dream.
'Wisdom to know the difference'
rains upon a life spent searching for acceptance
that never came - where as a youth I walked the
dark and lonely corridors of a place where
as an adult I have still yet to find; where
what began years ago as the anticipation of
a road less traveled ended with only tattered
shoes from the tiresome journey.
Though the path has been arduous, and there
have been more nights spent in sorrow than
days spent in sunlight, my spirit continues
to cling to the tranquility promised at the
end of my flight - when my wings will find
rest on the horizon, and I will again
breathe deeply.
For now I find grace in the whispers of a
new sunrise and calmness is found in my
hand upon my childs heart - in the
comfort of each beat as he drifts
to sleep, and in the reassurance
of another day - of second
chances and new beginnings.
My refuge is built on the hope of things
to come - those things I reach for that
are felt just beyond my grasp; those
wished for earnestly but which remain
unseen, and yet I feel them such as
the wind that brushes against my
skin and the arms that cradle me
during the longest of nights...
especially in those hours where it's darkest before
the dawn - when my eyes are weary but can't
sleep and where the darkness finds respite
in my tears.
Yet peace still rests in the promise of tomorrow
...even when the night breathes shallow.
Stephanie Sullivan