Presence

laying down to go back to sleep
or at least avoid today
for another minute
my mind clicked on that screen that often plays

“concerns for the day”
communications, errands, issues,
plotting, planning, positioning
pop-up windows firing away

it ran as usual, a steady precursor to sleep
the items quietly appearing
as gentle reminders
nothing terribly urgent or worrisome

then I saw in the center of the scene
a huge, black anvil
in whose shadow each of the items
had been popping up

not an anchor
not ominous or unkind
just an anvil
a solid presence

where energy and artistry come together
intense heat, blows crashing down rhythmically
to change what is formless
into something useful

slowly shaping something
where there was nothing
painful though that may be
redemption