after the quiet
The storm recedes; the branches bow, their broken prayers drip into earth. A hush remains—no thunder now, just soil that dreams of quiet birth. The days roll on in muted gray, each hour a stone along the lane; yet still the heart learns not to fray, for even stillness soothes the strain. Hope does not blaze, but softly glows, a lantern lit in twilight’s seam; it steadies hands, it slowly grows, the tender marrow of a dream. -Deia