Original DDE™ art: “Calm And Deep” — by: rob kistner © 4/15/26
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love does not arrive
with a force
it settles
like quiet weather
inside your being
a soft realization
that this matters—
a comfort
without a reason—
an attraction
without logic
you notice it
in the way a hand pauses
before letting go
of another
in the space held
for someone’s story
that has no ending yet
love listens
longer than logic presumes—
longer than comfort allows
love forgets itself—
in the act
of remembering another
it moves
without announcement
through ordinary hours
love does not insist
on being seen
it works
in the margins
of attention
a slight turning
toward another
when the room grows loud
it is patience
without a clock
ordinary people
reaching
for the extraordinary
the willingness
to sit beside
what cannot be solved
love is the warmth
left in a chair
after someone rises
a trace—
that says
you were not alone
it carries
what is fragile—
without naming it burden
it is not inflexible—
not brittle—
it does not shatter
it softens—
spreading quietly
‘round an impact—
‘round a bruise
to bring comfort
a consoling word
and healing
love has no center—
it gathers—
in small crossings
of breath and presence
in the pause
before speaking—
when listening matters more
it is a door
left unlatched
a light
not turned off
it remembers
the shape of another
without holding it still—
unchanging
love is calm—
love is deep—
love is kind—
love moves
like water—
finding
the lowest places
first—
spreading—
…to make the rough
…the uneven
smooth—
and settled
and when it recedes
it is never fully gone—
it does not just vanish
it lingers
in the way we reach
ever for gentleness—
a knowing of the heart
and if it leaves
as all things are ought—
it leaves behind
…a reflection
…a memory
…a resonance
…a quiet
tender intelligence
that continues
to breath—
even in absence
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rob kistner © 04/15/26