Bishop Maxim, 2024
Why are you moving so rapidly
teeth clenching
eyes twitching,
oblivious to shining of lake and sky,
green mosses
and the murmuring laughter of ducks?
Has someone stolen something from you?
What absence troubles you?
A heron glides through the air
its angular wings moving in slow motion
until it rests, absolutely still,
poised along the water’s edge.
But you O man,
even when asleep,
continue roaming the earth
fretting to grasp the elusive mirage
some day
some how
some way
unaware
of what possesses you.
Blind and deaf
to Treasure
ever blooming
under your feet
and in your bones
everywhere in all places
trampled upon in complacency
and unnoticed,
holiness remains hidden,
unmoved and expectant
for your revelation
in stillness
beyond all striving
As the saints discover,
“In the realm of truth
everything is a surprise.”
– Fr. Stephen Muse
