hold your hand out
You think you're alone?
In the bathroom to floss my teeth, it's Sunday,
I'm repeating the phrase “I'm not sure, I'm not certain,”
but I have no idea where those words came from.
You think you're alone?
Outside my window,
the college kids are venturing
into the dazzling morning light,
recounting all that happened
in the drunken hours of last night,
while my hair turns grayer by the hour.
It is no use putting up a fight.
Close your eyes.
No schedule, no expectations, no society, no pretensions.
Imagine this: You are walking to meet your lover,
and from a short distance you see them; you both smile
when your eyes lock. How excited you are!
In a moment, you'll be able to hold each other.
Would you complain then, that it's too long?
Would you take the time to say “I can't stand this,”
and look for some way to soothe your aching soul
for the next few seconds?
Close your eyes to the pain of this life.
Be outside of time and space,
breathe as if your breath were the only movement.
Now, hold your hand out, palm facing outwards.
Surely your lover is reaching out just the same!
Would you complain now, that it takes too long,
when you're already so close?
Do you think that what you're searching for
isn't searching for you as well?
This understanding is the goal,
whether you try to reach it or not.
My eyes are open now.
The sunlight reflecting off the building
across the street is more beautiful
than it's ever been, and it's hard
to understand how I had missed it.
I hold my hand up to this world, to all of it.
I can leave my home now, I can go anywhere
and do anything, and the vision will remain.
~
2021 - 2024