Calming My Urgency
It isn’t autumn yet, and I’m already
restless for spring, but what good is it
to wish away trees sculpted in yellow,
red, and orange, when winter, like a
high-pressure salesperson, pushes us to
buy its almost daily gloom and difficult
snows?
I need to clear my mind of a season I can’t
have for seven months. September clouds
are falling through the cracks in the sky,
hanging right above my head like white,
alien saucers. This part of the planet boasts
moderate days, a slight warm-up that
escapes the weatherman’s forecast.
Starlings cluster on the ceramic birdbath
like school children released for recess.
It’s a tramc jamb for a drink. Okay,
I’m not making provision for the present.
Don’t snap a photo of me ignoring carpe diem.
It would embarrass, because I’m grandfather of
admonishing everyone to value the moment.
I think the starlings at the birdbath know all
about living instantaneously.
I find the eternal in each splash of their wings,
everlasting redemption every second they break
water into the air.
R. Nikolas Macioci earned a PhD from The Ohio State University. Nik is the author of twenty-three books. He was twice nominated for a Pulitzer Prize, nominated five times for a Pushcart Prize, and twice for a Best of the Net award.
