"Finding Solace"

Poem of the Day, November 4, 2023--"Finding Solace"

"Finding Solace"

It’s a shame to realize that the loudness
and cruelty of world pound us
from every corner of the earth today
and surrounds us with the thickness of dread.
Often, we think there is no safe place

where we can feel solace and peace.
I stay away from the news, hoping
I will not be singed or even burned
by the ugliness and pervasiveness of it all.
Instead, I seek solace in the usual places—

on the beach, listening the waves lap
against the gray sands, retreating,
and beginning again, never tiring
of the push and pull of seeping sand;
or sauntering through the forest and trees,

feeling the softness of the debris of leaves
as I walk along, listening intently
to the sounds of life all around me;
or maybe just sitting in my room, reading,
studying, hearing the tick of the old clock

that Dad made from a stump.
For me, the best place for solace is sitting
and contemplating in the Lord’s House,
the temple, where the Spirit distills it
throughout every room as lights beam brightly,

enlightening my mind and soul,
allowing solace and peace
to encompass me in eternal bliss.
For those brief and tender moments,
I feel I am in my real world,

from which I came and must return.
It is here in the House of the Lord
where we learn to listen to and learn
about solace, surround ourselves with it,
and then share it with others

until they, too, can feel the challenges
of the world weave their way out,
dissipating into the quietness of night,
finally filling them with soothing solace
they deserve and have felt before.