Beyond

Beyond the jubilant whistles of lovebirds and
beyond coffee’s airborne steam.
Beyond the muddied walkways of forgotten footpaths,
branches overhead holding hands, clenching each other as the sun interrupts their moment.
Beyond risen hairs o’er goosebumps and
beyond soot dressing bricks of ageless hearths.
Beyond the whisper of stirred gravel as bicycle tires skid by, insects scurrying to grass or racing to slimy rock underbellies.
Beyond the swish of a donkey’s tail as the incessant fly pricks and prods, and
beyond the creamy white mold, concealed under moist compost.

And beyond to the deep intensities of the seas, the oceanic chaos a mystical threat, the bottomless danger inherently understood and ill-explored.
Beyond the manchineel, the cyprus, the crabapples.
Trunks proudly claiming their territory.
Beyond the rear gap between you and your jeans, the lack of gap in the thighs, the placid release of the spine as you stretch.
Beyond the imprint of fingers, making paths along a dog’s mane, the stern raven’s talon grip, the abdomen of the chocolate-grey toad in your palm.
Beyond the small spaces between a newborn’s toes, the soft fingernails, the dewy pores.

Beyond all these we find the quiet declarations of an Author.
From snowy mountain peaks to wispy baby hair.
From salted seas to salted eggs.
Voiceless dances of particles.
The quiet suggestion—something came from somewhere, something, Someone.
One silent shrapnel to the next.
Our existence scripted in between the tight-lipped beauties of our small lives.
Our Father, everywhere and beyond.
Silent until perceived. Waiting for you and seeking you. And me.
Silence!—a moment of reverence for the Creator.
Listen as He loudly proclaims His authority through the whispering miracle of the world we breathe in.