We have all, at some time or another been overwhelmed, overpowered, bested by our grief, anxiety and wretchedness. At those times, some of us have also been lucky enough to have that one place where we have, for a while, found some degree of quietude and peace. This is a tribute to those secret little places and spaces of comfort and healing in our lives.

There is this wooden bench I like
It’s not fancy; quite the common type. 
Cloaked in by the dappled canopy
Of a gracefully pirouetting Mara tree,
It sits in the park like a dear old friend
It’s well-worn embrace ever welcoming.
A young couple walks up, caught in the grips of wrath 
Love is lost; it’s the wretched aftermath; 
Words are exchanged until the fury’s spent 
Frustration - Anxiety - Sadness - Silence.
Then they sit down on the wooden bench ...
Gradually, muscles relax and nerves untense.
Even if it is a passing interlude, 
Loads are lightened; hearts are soothed.

Wild flowers grow lushly around its feet 
Bobbing bright heads to Earth’s vital beat. 
The bench sits there like a quiet friend 
It’s well-worn seat ever welcoming.
A man sits down in a state of unease 
Holding on to his hat in an errant breeze.
He picks up his phone and looks at the screen; 
The unlit glass reflects the tranquil scene ...
He looks up and around him his brow somewhat eased
Fleeting albeit, he’s found his moment of peace. 

Songful birds and their terrestrial friends
Roam warbling and chittering around the bench;
Hoping for a serendipitously fallen treat 
They browse busily around the seat. 
A wheelchair-bound man looks up at an overcast sky; 
His female companion already has water in her eyes. 
They sit side by side in worlds of their own 
Reminisnce weighs heavy of days that are gone ...
A mynah trills as a light drizzle falls
And a sweet petrichor briefly dispels the pall.
The man looks at her, takes her hand and she smiles 
For now they’re alright; tomorrow is still a while. 

I too have sat in Nature’s restoring arms 
On that bench where she weaves her alchemical charms. 
I too have unburdened my hopes and my fears 
I too have laid my bursting heart bare;
And I have heard her soothing murmurs 
That have quietened my deepest despair. 
I’ve looked into her soft eyes from that corner in the park
For a time, my soul too has emerged from the dark;
The clouds have parted; the sun has shone through 
And I’ve breathed more easily, sitting on that wooden pew.