Be Still

The better the listener, the better the producer. And how does one become a better listener? Being still allows one to be more observant. It's analogous to the phrase, on a clear day you can see forever. On a quiet day you can hear farther.

There's good practice to be found at www.exploratorium.edu/listen/ -- put on your headphones.

One of the features on this enjoyable website is the question: "What is the quietest sound you can hear right now?" That reminded me of a song I wrote several years ago for my students but never got to sing to them. As I was canoeing one quiet spring morning I witnessed a fish swallowing a fly at the water's surface, and wondered: how quiet would one have to be to hear that fish swim? Other examples grew in my imagination. The lyrics are reprinted below.

Be still. Be as quiet as a pond before sunrise.
So still that when a rainbow trout, fishing for flies,
Eyes a mosquito, you hear it swim. Be still.

Be still. Be as quiet as shadows at noon.
So still that when a red-winged blackbird, dropping a seed,
Disturbs a chipmunk, you hear it blink. Be still.

Be still. Open your ears and your eyes and your mind,
Open your heart and your spirit might find
A peace on this earth, the one home we share
Where we drink the same water and breathe the same air.

Be still. Be as quiet as a forest at midnight.
So still that when the temperature drops, freezing the sap
In the white pines, you hear it snap. Be still.

Be still. Be as quiet as a cloud in the sky.
So still that when the rainstorm is over and moisture is moving,
Evaporating, you hear it rise. Be still.

Be still. Open your ears and your eyes and your mind,
Open your heart and your spirit might find
A peace on this earth, the one home we share
Where we drink the same water and breathe the same air.

Be still. Be as quiet as if six feet under.
So still that when the tree you once planted, sends out its roots
And feeds on your body, you hear it grow. Be still.

© 1999 dB