two windows on the universe

the active and the passive

a Wordsworth poem long ago drew me,

as William sat on a stone

and argued for a “wise passiveness,”

most of the time, I love action, doing,

I spin web after web of connection

to see what can be built,

to support each effort of the building

by noticing, and applauding,

and working to be a glue

that helps the one bond to the other,

I feel of worth in the doing,

and it’s hard to stop and rest,

when I disconnect a bit from the frenetic spinning,

I find tears and joy both rise within me,

for I see where I am, I feel the losses,

and I see again, anew, her, the one I love,

the one whose presence by my side

shakes and grounds my universe,

the active and the passive are both windows to treasure,

for the truth of the universe is so awesome

that no one view can reveal enough 

of the hidden meaning that we need to find,

so that we know where we are

and what we are called upon to do.

by Henry H. Walker

February 16, ’14