con · 11 / patient one
∴ constellation 11

the patient one

the calm head the slow throat the left wrist the right wrist the folded hands the left knee, settled the right knee, settled the left elbow at rest the right elbow at rest

nine stars in a low square. a figure sits with the hands folded and the knees folded and the head only just above the line of the horizon. the constellation is so still that early atlases mistook it for ruled margins on the page.

when it rises, things waited for arrive. not always the things hoped for. those who keep vigil by the hourglass know its rhythm. the patient one is sometimes shown teaching the sleeper how to wait without waking.

rises in · any quiet season
visible from · the unmoving chair
also seen near · always · breath
atlas · return