Heaven Forbid

And what of us mules who like the harness?

What would the workhorses in this world do without

some imaginary cause – or situation – we felt

needed to be championed, or scotch-taped/

Heaven forbid, everyone might become happy

doing basically nothing

except to lie around and get zonked out on the

wonder of our being

                                                   Hafiz (Daniel Ladinsky)

__________________________________

it is so quiet and somewhat still

out side new fallen snow covers everything

creating a white sameness

it is as if the world has snuggled down

under a comforter

for a well deserved rest

and I search valiantly to discover

what day of this week this might happen to be

I am not used to this disorientation

Nor am I used to all this

white space

nothing is urgent

a few telemedicine counseling sessions

but little more

it is disconcerting

for this human doing

I am tempted to find something to do

Something to fix (where’s that scotchtape?)

To fill this emptiness with sound and fury

(how about a good drama!)

But instead I sit

at least for a moment

“doing basically nothing

except to lie around and get zonked out on the

wonder of [my] being

and to make the effort

to let my soul catch up with my body

and my mind catch the thoughts as they fly

there is comfort here

there is discomfort here,

as I face things long avoided

and there is growth here

in this doing of so little

as in this quiet time

the God who makes all things new

comes in

and re-creates me

bringing me back from exile

into the circle of Sacred love