Friends General Conference

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A Quaker Meeting of Philadelphia Yearly Meeting at Westtown School

Poem by Harve Nichols

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Harve L Nichols

Yesterday at 8:31 AM · 

Can’t remember if

It’s the Year of Our Lord

1982 or 1983

It’s a lovely morning

The walk across

The Granolithic to

Be

Amongst Quakers

To be with

Friends

In silence

Once troubling

Not used to being

Without noise

Still without movement

Waiting to be moved

As a freshman confused for

As sophomore gaining in maturity for

This is not church

This is not praise

This is not worship

No choir

No clapping

No pulpit to

Silence

Hear the birds

Chirping

The screech

Someone’s coming

Mind over matter

It’s but an hour

Keep your eye on

Earl Fowler

When he moves

You move

Silence so

Shut up

Unless the spirit

Within has

Something to say

That’s one heck of a responsibility

To speak only if you have something worthwhile to say

How do you divinate

Interpret

Hope dancing

As a young man

Without laughing

As a grown man

There is power without

Words

Moments when the brain

Cannot process language

Who got expelled?

What led to someone being shunned?

What are

WE

Without community?

What’s going on in the world

Now?

What matters is

Right now

Matters but

Is this utopia?

The mind wanders

Grasps hold of pieces

What is it that I have to do today?

Game this afternoon

In the world, What is my place

Fragments begin to mend

But not heal

Ideas take shape

The paradigm shifts

Timelessness, Without weight etched into

Memory

Things you have no control over

Begin to fall into place

How to sit with

A wound that has

Yet to heal

The moment is

Difficult

Processing George

Floyd being murdered

The taking of

His life

How to keep

Urban fists

From flying

The spirit will not stop fighting

The body will die trying

This is Therapy

Mindfulness is the modality

How to return to

Center

While being off

Center and

Moved to

Speak

While she dances

No music

Just

Movement

We sat in a building

White walls

Plain wooden benches

Together

In silence

Unless moved by the spirit

To present

Meaningful Expression

Poetry is

Meaningful Worship

I thank

Dan Sanders

For this

One

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