BOOK II — THE COMING

Chapter II — Of the Settled Matter

1. The matter did not resolve itself.
It was absorbed.
2. The questions multiplied quietly,
asked in private,
denied in public.
3. Many sensed the imbalance,
though no name was agreed upon
and no cause admitted.
4. Restlessness spread without direction.
Certainty weakened without opposition.
5. The search for reassurance grew,
yet comfort did not answer.
6. What was once dismissed as anxiety
became shared experience,
though no gathering was called.
7. Authority spoke often,
but conviction did not return.
8. Silence remained widespread,
not from ignorance,
but from recognition.
9. Preparation began without instruction.
Fear without object took root.
10. The ground shifted beneath familiar language,
and the old assurances lost weight.
11. No announcement followed.
None was needed.
12. So it was written:
the matter was settled
before it was acknowledged,
and the turning preceded the understanding.