Let us bless the quiet 
fleeting moments
shorter than breath
The sudden reversal of a swing
when everything hurtles you forward
The jolt of the coiled spring 
when the slinky accelerates down a stair
The infant’s animation
reflecting its mother’s gaze	
The rattle of the key 
releasing the lock

Oh, let us bless the quiet 
treasured moments
swifter than breath
The rustle of the startled heron
taking flight
The first ray of sun
chasing night
The quicksilver minnow
mirroring light
The force of the flower
breaking rock

And though these quiet
hallowed moments
are briefer than breath,
swifter than death, 
lightning strike, or 
the capricious twists 
and turns of the river—
still let us bless

For who can measure
the riot and quiet
of everything we’ve lost—
yarn unraveled,
kitten tangled in string,
rough tongue of cat,
everything that flowed through our arms
like water through permeable rock				
now vanished as sudden as thunderclap—
swollen stream after downpour,
peaceful interlude, water’s caress,
storm, stride, strike, stress—			

these too may we bless