Today

     Today

I can tell,
today is going to be
just one of those days
when little things get done
and no matter how hard
I try, I can't seem to get to the
larger more important matters.

Sometimes it feels as though
I must wade through the quicksand
of interminably tedious tasks,
in order to perhaps reach that
far-off firm ground of some solid work
on "the big things" in my life.

Do the dishes, sweep the floors,
let the cat out and back in. Make the bed
comb the hair on my head, get dressed,
making a living, eat, go to bed, and then
rise up and do it all over again.

But still I look to the stars, navigating
by the promises made to friends and strangers,
toward often nearly invisible treasures I've
read about, heard about, and thought about
until they've become my own obsessions,
hoped for possessions, deepest confessions,
most fervent transgressions and very nearly
my profession.

I strive for my own balance, between the oughts
and the wants, desire and stasis, running and stopping,
breathing and giving my all to each moment
as they in turn are given to me.

This is life, at least for now, and the future is yet to come.

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