The Opening of Light

A Poem Inspired by Psalm 119:130

When first the silent page is gently turned,

And quiet breath attends the sacred word,

A lamp unseen within the spirit burns,

Though not a flame the outward eye has heard.

No thunder breaks, no mountain rends apart,

Yet something stirs the deep and hidden heart.

The world is loud with wisdom proud and tall,

With towers built of clever thought and art;

But in a line so small, so slight to all,

A dawn begins within the humblest heart.

For truth needs not the trumpet or the throne—

Its whisper claims the willing soul alone.

The opening word—so simple and so clear—

Breaks like the morning through the mind's long night;

And those who wandered long in doubt and fear

Now lift their eyes and walk within the light.

Not by their learning were the blind made wise,

But by the mercy that unveils their eyes.

What scholar first could chart that gentle ray

That falls alike on shepherd, child, and king?

It asks no gold, it charges not a fee,

Yet grants a wealth no earthly crown could bring.

For wisdom born of heaven's quiet grace

Finds ready home in every seeking place.

The humble ear receives what pride denies;

The open heart is soil where truth takes root.

And where a listening soul in patience lies,

The hidden seed awakens into fruit.

Not loud instruction, harsh with stern demand,

But living light flows softly through the land.

The ancient words, though worn by passing years,

Are springs whose waters never fail nor dry;

They wash the dust of doubt, the film of fears,

And lift the gaze from earth to things on high.

Their brightness falls where shadows long have stayed,

And every trembling path grows less afraid.

O blessed light that enters quietly,

Unseen by crowds who chase the louder flame;

You teach the heart what eyes could never see,

And write within the soul a wiser name.

The simple learn what sages strain to know—

Where truth begins, and where all mercies flow.

Thus when the sacred pages are unsealed,

And humble minds receive what heaven sends,

A thousand hidden mysteries are revealed

To those whom patient listening befriends.

For light is born wherever words are heard

With open heart before the living Word.

And still the quiet promise shall remain:

Where truth is welcomed, darkness cannot stay.

For every soul that listens shall obtain

A dawn no night of earth can take away.

The opening of the word—so small it seems—

Yet kindles everlasting light in dreams.