Strange to say it
But those calm spells
Those all-to-brief spans of peace and quiet
When no duty calls and no burden weighs
That is when the fear comes
Surely there is some urgent matter
Calling upon me for attention
This strange interlude of quiet
Unnerves
Passes
Then comes again the insistence of tasks brushed aside
Jobs whose calls were unheard or rather
Were ignored
This is the familiar ground of life
Uneasy though my step may be here
Distracted and prone to wander
There is safety here
In the familiar
In the known
Peace is a fearful stranger to me