The Peace Amidst The Noise

There is peace amidst the noise and
The din holds no sway.
The roar of the road,
The steady thrum of the engine,
A framework for the quiet within.

I flash – back – to a time
Lying on my back
With tracer rounds
Streaking overhead
Explosions all around.

Lying there and laughing
Sharing a joke,
A chocolate bar
Basic memories of basic training
A millennia past.

Or holding fast to a strap
Being banged and pulled
By the motion of the train
And yet, lost in a novel, Engrossed in a crossword
Oblivious to the chaos.

Such a curious thing
It allows us to look
Into a lover's eyes
We do not see the throng
We do not hear the cacophony.

At such times
The world shrinks
To eyes that smile
To a hand within a hand
Lips brushing lips

We hear and see but do not process
The mind’s eye has taken control
The filters are in place
The peace amidst the noise
The quiet of the soul.

Bill Schatzabel April 2008