Some people panic when the whole world shakes. Étienne sits down, looks around, and waits for everyone else to catch up. Paper rolls along the avenue, Old receipts stick underneath a shoe. Someone missed the bus, somebody lost their keys, A guy on the corner argues with a parking meter. Phones keep ringing, people cut the line, Everybody swears they’re running out of time. Étienne just watches from the bench, Quiet enough to notice what they missed. The day keeps slipping out of place, He takes a breath and lets it pass. It’s the calm within, When everything moves too fast. The calm within, When nobody knows what comes next. They rush, they turn, they lose their way, He stays right there and reads the room. Nothing fancy. Nothing loud. Just the calm within. A bike falls over by the station gate, Someone finds out their train is twenty minutes late. Coffee on the floor, a wallet on the ground, Three different people asking what’s going on. The board changes platforms one more time, A dozen people move before they read the sign. Étienne looks up, points across the hall, and half of them stop running the wrong way. One step left. One train missed. One small choice changes the rest of it. The city keeps pushing from every side, He takes a breath and lets it pass. It’s the calm within, When everything moves too fast. The calm within, When nobody knows what comes next. They rush, they turn, they lose their way, He stays right there and reads the room. Nothing fancy. Nothing loud. Just the calm within. By the time the evening settles down, The noise has moved to another part of town. The lost wallet’s back. The right train came. Nobody remembers who fixed what anyway. Étienne does. He probably won’t mention it. He doesn’t rush. He doesn’t make a speech. He just gets up when there’s nothing left to fix. THE CALM WITHIN, WHEN THE WHOLE PLACE TURNS. THE CALM WITHIN, WHILE EVERYONE ELSE LEARNS. Let the schedules change. Let the red lights hold. Let somebody swear they were definitely told. When everyone’s moving and nobody knows why, Étienne takes one look and somehow gets it right. The calm within. Right to the end. At this point… just give Étienne the keys. He’s basically running the place.
