END OF TERM

There is an unexpected loneliness in the room
Light is filtered by dust and mineral spots
And diffused through plastic grids
The air smells of dust
Flecks of dry skin from a year of study
And the unwanted dirt from dry boots, shoes and sandals

Outside there is unexpected companionship
Insects visit flowers and birds visit insects
Even a lonely toad on the edge of the wet grass
Finds a cricket for a companion
The gardener’s footprint remains in the moist soil

Loneliness and silence are eternal companions
Gently close the door and join the others.
It is not loneliness in the room
It is an immense emptiness

It's been awhile since I have posted. The end of the semester always gets way to busy, no matter how hard one works at it. School seems as if it should be the least lonely place; everyone crammed together and all engaged in a common cause. Yet it seems lonely after a time. We all look forward to leaving the sterile confines, the mere ideas, the artificial activities and joining the forces of life. That is where true companionship lies. By the end of spring term we begin to wonder, like Mr. Chips, if it all really means anything anyway. It's time to tend the bees, plant the garden, sit in the evening air in companionable silence. I'll get back to science soon. But for now it is time for the heart.