Stillness and Silence

Stillness is an art
which I have not yet mastered
Even in the world of sleep
I toss and turn
fidget and fret
But I yearn for it;
that ability to sit unmoving
Inert for a time
To welcome rest;
rest from movement
rest from my mind
Content to pause
and not to plan the moment
at which I can throw the pebble
into the calm water
and rush off again

Silence is a gift
which I have yet to unwrap
Now and then
I tentatively pull
at the coloured ribbons
Tantalised
Mesmerised by the possibilities inside
But reluctant to open it
in case reality cannot live up
to expectation
Or maybe I am afraid
of what I might hear in the nothingness
Or worse
that I hear nothing
So I sit awhile
admiring my present