by Emily Conrad

Though I’m not posting this on day 22 of the 31 Days of 5 Minute Free Writes challenge, I did first draft it on Saturday, 10/22. I’ve done some rearranging since, and I worked on it a lot more than five minutes. The / marks approximately where my first five minutes left off.

Saturday, October 22nd, found me at a camp with the high school youth group without my laptop or reliable Internet. The weekend was full of good things-fellowship and deepening relationships and nature and games. Can I stress that again? Good things. But if you’re an introvert, I suspect you’ll also understand where this poem came from.

Off
I’m off by myself, praying.
Please meet me here.
The company of people is full
Of noise and movement,
Kicking the leaves,
Rippling the glassy lake,
Speaking aimless breezes.
Perhaps You meet them in their movement,
Even as You nudge me to steal away alone to You,
The one who blesses and fulfills.
These fallen leaves, this glassy lake,
These bare trees, we all wait for You.
This chair on the shore, these wrinkled pines,
Seasons of sun and snow.
We will see You again./
When my time here feels too limited and loud
Could You hold the sun and clouds still
Until I’ve lingered long enough
To find Your company?
Only now do I notice the way
Your low-hanging sun hits
The grass flourishing in the lake.
If Your voice is still and small, why
Wouldn’t we stop to hear?
Why push until it takes calamity
to break through the din?
Lord, give quiet to my soul.
Speak to me peace to carry,
Peace to point to You in the midst
Of the swirling action.

To find out more about the 31 Days of 5 Minute Free Writes challenge, visit the link up and intro on Creative and Free. All of my posts written in conjunction with the challenge can be found here.

Off by myself with You. A poem in honor of #Write31Days #5MFW #peacebestill #stillsmallvoice via @novelwritergirl