Some years ago
I found myself on the subway
of some other city
on a Saturday morning.
I’d finally hit the weekend
after working hard
to be the person everybody
needed me to be.
Standing on the train
I put my earphones in
the music started
then it washed over me.
“letting go /
i want to be happier now”
it nearly overwhelmed me
I held on for dear life. »
A quiet breakfast
watching the waves
I heard something
unexpected
a honk?
a swan?
here?
yet it was
and it was just one.
Later, driving out
we passed a rabbit
lying in the narrow shade
of a streetlight pole
I felt lucky
not being alone
this morning. »
The streets seemed familiar
well-intentioned over-planning
leaving little room for wonder
beyond the quaint bus stops
I tried to match places to prior memories
and wondered about my mood
last time I was there.
Atop one hill
An American chased a magpie
with his camera
I tried to warn him
they don’t follow instructions.
Atop another
a strange building
the kind you hope
might survive us all
and confound our ancestors. »
I took a dumpling-making class
mostly to keep my hands occupied
and to get myself out
doing something different
with people I didn’t know.
I kneaded, and flattened, and rolled
while 70’s country music played softly
worried I might sing out loud
if a Marty Robbins song appeared.
I guess I’ll die with this fever in my soul. »
I took the bus to a nearby suburb and walked up a hill I hadn’t visited in years to a quiet area of pine trees. Just me and a few dog walkers. I stood behind a tree stump and bathed in the cold sun, while a currawong sang overhead. An old man passed by, complaining about the trees blocking the lovely view of the valley that could once be seen from here. »