Stirred, Not Shaken Poem by Bill Upton

In the midst of the mayhem politely called
The work day,
Stirs a straw, an inner straw of peace that runs through all of us.
It is that voice that remains subdued during aggression.
It is the voice of reason that quiets the hurricane.

Our days are head-on collisions with problematic itineraries.
Each morning we begin as matadors, as gladiators, as warriors.
We fight to defend every inch of turf that we have.
Some days the noise is deafening,
The battles are large,
And they call on emergency energy reserves.

Yet, within the maelstrom, at the command post,
Standing unshaken
Is our voice of reason, our straw that stirs the drink.
When it is time to dock our ship,
It is the anchor that secures another night.
It prevents the ebb tide
From drifting us out of harbor.