Sometimes When It Is Quiet - A Poem about Reflection
Sometimes when it's quiet
And I am all alone
I'll sit back in my chair
Not answering my phone.
Sitting there in the stillness
Doing nothing at all,
I lean my head back
Stare at the wall.
Taking some time
To just stop and think,
Ignoring the laundry
And dishes in the sink.
Putting aside
My long list of to do's,
Taking a break to relax
To survey the view.
A few moments to reflect
Away from the din
On where I am going,
On where I have been.
Removed from the chaos
Away from the crowd,
For a rare moment of peace
When time will allow.
In these moments
So precious and few,
I have time to consider
All that I want to do,
To ask myself,
What is it I want to be?
To search my heart
To see what I see.
In which direction is it,
That I want to go?
Consider my options,
Get my ducks in a row.
Look toward the future
Begin to devise a plan,
Give myself a little pep-talk,
Tell myself I think I can.
Spend some needed time
Searching within my soul,
Reviewing my highs
Reviewing my lows.
Asking myself,
Do you like what you see?
Am I doing all I can
To become a better me?
Have I been honest and truthful?
Have I been charitable and kind?
When I search my conscience
Will I like what I will find?
Or be disappointed to know
I’ve been acting greedy and mean?
Only when I look inside,
Can what I look for be seen.
To do unto others
As you would have done unto you,
This is what we were taught
In the days of Sunday school.
In looking inward at myself
Perusing my memory,
I hope to find I'm thinking of others
Not only thinking of me.
In these silent moments
I have time to reflect,
On what I might have done differently,
On what I might correct.
If given the opportunity
What difference could I make,
If I had that chance
What risks would I take?
If in the future
I might pass this way again
Would I do it all the same,
Or with a fresh start would I begin?
These moments coming unannounced
To catch me by surprise,
Give me the chance to see,
Circumstance through different eyes.
When captured by the moment
I cannot help but take a look,
Discovering what options
Might be hidden in cranny or nook,
To offer help in taking me
From one moment to the next
Finding new solutions,
To a problem with which I'm vexed.
These quiet little respites
Are born of necessity,
Otherwise how would I find
The tools needed to succeed?
For life is about the challenge
That is presented every day
To improve both ourselves and our world
In peaceful and small ways.
So when those quiet moments come
Unbidden and unexpected
It's best to take advantage,
Of their gift of time reflected.
And savor their brief moments
To store their lessons learned,
Enjoy the beautiful seconds
Of peace which I have earned.
-Kristen Burns-Darling ©November 2011
(all rights reserved)
About This Poem
As a writer, a wife, and a mother, it seems that sometimes it is truly difficult for me to find a moment of the day where there is enough time left over for me to just sit and reflect upon events, yet I instinctively know, that in order for me to continue to grow as a person, those moments are necessary. This poem is about finding and recognizing those rare moments, in any place or time in which they might present themselves.