The devil is,
as so often,
in the particulars.
The nuances,
the fine tuning,
the discordant elements
we try to bring
into harmony.
It is simply
living with eyes open.
Being awake means
accepting life
on its own terms,
meeting things
as they are –
forever changing,
never static –
and somehow
remaining at peace
within it.
Some of us are blessed
with long stretches
of isolation,
but solitude alone
is not what teaches us.
There are passionate encounters,
the tug and pull of other lives,
the emotional highs and lows,
as we struggle,
like oboes and strings,
to attune to one another,
to discover harmony
in the midst of chaos.