Spirit Song
She stood quietly beneath the
night sky, her
arms crossed in front of her breasts, holding together the last
vestiges
of her sanity. Walking slowly, she left the quiet loneliness and static
calm of a house that had become a prison. She was being held captive
not
by another person, but by the infirmities of her own body.
Illness and disease had
ravaged the muscles
and mind of the woman. The constant pain was taking a toll on her
health
and leaving her mind in a constant state of near insanity. As she
walked
in the dark of the night, her eyes slowly became more aware of her
surroundings.
Her skin became aware of the cool night air and her ears caught the
subtle
sounds of the night.
The sound of buzzing insects,
the soft whispering
of leaves, and the crunching sound of the grass beneath her feet joined
the sounds of her labored breathing. Stopping periodically to catch her
breath, she walked further and further away from her home.
Walking under the
streetlights, she was soon
entering the neighborhood park near her home. The waves lapping at the
edge of the lake seemed to be whispering to the grass that swayed at
the
shoreline.
Sitting on a park bench near
the edge of the
lake, she gazed out over the water. The globed lamps lining the
sidewalk
around the lake lit the area with soft luminescence. The golden light
reflected
in shimmering waves, riding upon the water under the dark velvet sky.
As
she sat, her body began to relax, but her mind continued to swirl with
thoughts and soft tears began to slide down her cheeks.
She was so tired of dealing
with her life of
pain and misunderstandings. Her illnesses kept her isolated from the
lifestyle
she had followed for most of her adult life. No longer able to
physically
function with the ease she once knew, a depression had settled over her
and she felt as if she were drowning.
Her family and friends, not
understanding the
constant pain that plagued her life, began to ignore her pleas for help
and to hint she was using her illness as a way to get out of life’s
daily
responsibilities.
She felt her life slipping
away as numbness
began to overtake her mind and spirit. No longer caring if she dressed
or ate, she knew in her mind she needed help to dispel the depression.
Physically, she was running on empty and some days even the act of
getting
out of bed was so painful she hated to move.
Thoughts of how to end the
pain touched her
mind as she sat in the quiet dark by the lake, her eyes closed to the
world.
Then she realized she heard someone singing. The notes were soft and
melodious
and touched a deep part of her soul. Opening her eyes, she searched for
the person who graced her with such beautiful music.
Standing some yards away from
her, a young
man stood under a tree at the edge of the lake. The limbs of the willow
surrounded him as if he stood in a natural cathedral. Drawn to the
sound
of his voice, she walked nearer to the young man until she was standing
quietly a few feet behind him.
She closed her eyes and
allowed his music to
glide over her and enter her every pore. The soft tones filled her with
a quiet joy and pushed aside the depression threatening to overtake her
mind. The notes played her soul as a harp, stroking her pain away, and
dropping a veil of comfort over her spirit.
She smiled softly as the
notes brought a long
forgotten tranquility to her spirit. At peace, they stood beside the
lake,
he singing his notes of joy and she allowing the music to cleanse her
mind
and spirit of harsh thoughts.
After a time, she realized he
had stopped singing.
Opening her eyes, she saw he was no longer standing beneath the tree,
but
was directly in front of her. She felt no fear when he reached out to
her.
Smiling he touched her cheek
and, in a voice
warm and full of strength, told her, “Fear not, for you are not alone.
You will be given the strength you need to overcome any obstacle. All
you
need to do is ask.” With those words, he turned and walked away,
disappearing
into the night.
Unable to speak, she watched
him leave. As
he slowly disappeared from her sight, she realized her cheek was warm
and
tingled where he had stroked her skin. The soft scent of flowers
lingered
on after he had left. A peace had descended upon her and she thought to
herself, “I did ask. I asked for peace and I received it in a song.”
As she walked back to her
home, her thoughts
became clearer and her pain lessened. She had received a blessing from
a stranger and felt joy in her heart for the first time in ages.
Turning
her face to the sky, she smiled and murmured a quiet thank you to the
universe
for the peace she now cradled in her heart.
©
January 2002 Brenda
“Rion” Sewell
