Member-only story
The Sound We Don’t Hear
THE ORIGINAL SOUND
I asked an old monk, “How long have you been here?”
“Forever.” he answered.
I smiled. “Fifty years, Father?”
“Forever.”
“Did you know Saint Benedict?
“We are novices together.”
“Did you know Jesus?”
“He and I converse every day.”
I threw away my silly smile, fell to my knees, and clutched his hand.
“Father,” I whispered, “Did you hear the original sound?”
“I am listening to the original sound.”
From Tales of a Magic Monastery by Theophane the Monk
*
“If you want to build a ship,
don’t drum up the people
to gather wood, divide the
work, and give orders.
Instead, teach them to yearn
for the vast and endless sea.”
— Antoine de Saint-Exupéry
*
At night I open the window and ask the moon to come and press its face against mine.
Breathe into me.
Close the language door and open the love window.
The moon won’t use the door only the window.
