Prologue
When you are concussed,
they say you should rest.
Sleep, yes —
but not just that.
Rest your brain,
so it can recover
from the impact
of collision
inside your skull.
Rest:
No watching TV
No computers
No bright lights
So, basically, no screens
No physical activity
No critical thinking
No reading
I stare intently,
but the computer screen
I shouldn’t be peering at
still shows the same words.
Well, what on earth am I
supposed to do then?
I know, I know.
Rest.
Chapter
After another day of work that entails staring at a bright computer screen all day, writing, reading, and thinking critically, I sit down and finish the last couple chapters of my book.
Now, I will rest.
I open my laptop and bring up a blank, bright white Word document on the screen. I try to think of what I want to write, what I have to say, but nothing comes to me.
I sit in silence, eyes closed. And then, a thought emerges: Peace, be still.
Background noises come to my mind’s forefront. I hear the rain splatter on the roof. The vehicles in the intersection hum, squeal, and clank. They are not the only travelers on the road. Water droplets have taken individual journeys and now collect together in puddles, filling the potholes and crevices in the road. They rest together for a moment, until they are disturbed and displaced by a set of rubber tires — another vehicle in a hurry to get somewhere other than there.
Epilogue
Distraction
Commotion
Chaos
Turmoil —
Our worlds are filled
to the brim with it all,
making it difficult
to extract yourself,
to withdraw,
to slow down,
to rest,
to simply be still.
Jennifer English 