The Edge of Pause - mauriceling/mauriceling.github.io GitHub Wiki

I have earned the right to rest
The clock no longer bites my breath
The lab doors close with gentler grace
And time now shares my pace
But joy walks beside dread
For not all words have yet been said
There are papers unwritten and thoughts undone
And a mind still drawn to a rising sun
I sip slow tea, chant, and play
Feeling the weight of each passing day
A student’s death, a final sigh
Reminds me how and when and why
Is purpose lost when work does cease
Or does the quiet birth new peace
My muscles ease and my mind expands
Trembles still with half-closed plans
So I retire not with full retreat
But shifting where my pulses beat
From crowded rooms to quieter art
From public work to private heart
The journey may end but not its close
Just softer earth beneath my toes
I’ve earned this edge and I’ve earned this air
Still half in duty and fully aware
— 07/05/25