The day, strange.
Not calm.
Watching a never-ending seminar on Zoom.
Though retired.
To maintain a license.
Head swelling with already learned information.
Child abuse, suicide, ethics.
Required topics.
As people texted.
Phoned.
Emailed.
All urgent, needing replies.
As gardeners banged outside.
Bob piled groceries into a refrigerator.
Horrific Middle-East headlines flashed by.
Republicans failed to elect a speaker.
Wasting weeks.
A favorite gym trainer quit his post.
Not even a goodbye.
Dinner guests tomorrow.
Lists hijacking my mind.
Prepare sofrito.
Sauté fish.
Pick out pan, plates, table ware.
Thoughts coming, going.
Like trains rumbling in a station.
Loud, almost deafening.
Body vibrating.
Till nearly five.
Running out the door.
To catch setting sun, breath.
Leaves, gold, orange, red.
Mums taking charge of gardens.
A deer, plaintive.
Starlings, chattering in an oak.
Sky darkening.
Exhausting days are fewer now.
Most serene, tranquil.
Why then when things, routine,
do I life overfill?
Lynn Benjamin
October 23, 2023
