Playing Through

Quite by accident
I found myself watching
Golf
On a big screen
At the airport.
How many years had it been
Since I had spent
A lazy Sunday afternoon
Being lulled by quiet commentary 
And polite applause?
Always only a passive fan
I typically worked a crossword puzzle
During the tournament,
Occasionally looking up
To admire a skillful putt
Or a clever chip shot.

Time for a commercial
For a driver 
Crafted in titanium
Using the latest technology,
Guaranteed to make the most of your swing.
The science is new,
But the promise is the same as always.
I remember the weight 
Of a borrowed driver in my hand,
My fingers laced around the grip
Just so.
Looking down the fairway,
Spying the flag. 
Close-cut grass spongy beneath my cleats. 
The fresh smell of the green,
Still damp from its daily watering.
Quiet.
Deep breath.
Swing.
The satisfying thwack 
As I connect with the ball. 
I turn to see how far I sent it.

Polite applause from the big screen
Draws my mind 
Back to reality. 
I don’t know that I’ll ever walk a fairway again - 
Airports are my course these days.
But it was nice to play through.

Morning Lessons

Birds were so mysterious to me.
Which one likes which food,
Seeds or nuts or suet.
Some cling, some perch, 
A few do both.
I don’t know them by their song - 
Cheeps and chirps,
Whistles and warbles,
I couldn’t discern the difference. 
And the names themselves
Were a jumble in my mind.
Is that a red-crested swallowgale?
Or a yellow-winged hummingfinch? 
Whatever.
It’s all the same, right? 

Then one morning
In the quiet just after sunrise,
My back to the window
That frames the feeders,
I hear a bird song.
I think,
“That cute little titmouse 
With his happy tune."
I smile
As I realize I am learning
Each bird’s song.
When did that happen? 
Over time,
Morning by morning
In those calm, coffee-sipping moments
When I let my heart be still.
The birds were not mysterious
Or a puzzle to be solved.
I just had to stop
And listen.

God is not as mysterious
As we say He is.
We learn Him
Day by day
In quiet moments
When we let our hearts be still
And listen.