My Peace

Peace

As a kid at home the peace
I remember was when I crawled into the doghouse
under a big elm tree next to the coal pile.
I could lay there with my head on my big yellow mastiff
watching how trusting and gentle she was, then falling asleep.
These moments were like sitting by a flowing stream,
listening and watching the water as it flowed through the stones.
The flowing water softens all other sounds.
Nothing more peaceful.
Now that I am older, much older,
where does my peace come?
I must say it comes from the promises of my Lord,
from the gentle voice of my wife of many years,
from my stream’s eternal flow,
and from the mornings
I lay next to my dog and watch her sleep.

Roy L. Nave
2020