Matins, 5 a.m.

In the battle between

daybreak and dark,

dawn struggles to crack

through a single chink

of melon sky-

then sinks back, dank and gray.

A keen rain falls.

You won't believe it at first

but soon you'll feel

the stillness in its rhythm.

Here, silence will whisper to you.

And it is in this moment

(whether you are aware

of it or not) warmth

will bleed through you

like a benediction,

radiate from you

violet, pink, and gold,

until grace drenches you

in new morning.

(c) Copyright 1999. The Christian Science Publishing Society