Bees take their fill

of morning nectar

from the grevillea.

Noisy myna

does the same.

likewise the wattle bird.

Magpie warbles

its strangely comforting sound.

Blue sky crowns the scene.

Hint of a breeze

rustles the leaves

of the plants and trees

near my front porch.

Butterfly meanders past.

Other signs of life

include humans

running, cycling or driving.

I am held

lovingly

by the peace

of this scene.

Our dogs explore the yard

and ‘protect’ the perimeter.

More beauty

more colour

from the bottlebrush,

flowering gum,

sasanqua,

frangipani,

roses

and the plethora of weeds

in the lawn.

And I continue to be held

by the peace.

Then I read the words of Etty Hillesum,

a young Jewish woman killed at Auschwitz:

‘each of us must turn inward and destroy in himself all that he thinks he ought to destroy in others. And remember that every atom of hate we add to this world makes it still more inhospitable.’

And for a moment I glimpse

the vastness of God’s love

that draws me

both inward and outward.