Cluttered Journey

How our lives change with the lack of time and the growth of responsibilities, how marriages change with the same.

 

Cluttered Journey

 

In the clutter of my desk

typed out verse vies

with bills and billing,

the papers stacked on a sorter

or piled without reason

on the copier,

while pens, paperclips

wires, name stamps and notes

battle the laptop for primacy

on the dark cherry surface

or the little I can see of it.

 

The real estate competition

for open mental space

fans out in my mind

like a fast-paced auction

for my dwindling attention:

never meeting committees chaired,

paintings unfinished,

hospital duties  never done

and the angst of firecracker minds

inside teenagers under our roof

diminish moments of meditation.

 

Life moves ahead and me with it,

relishing the rare moments for a hug

or a quiet dinner by candlelight,

a live jazz quartet improvising

before the firelight

as my partner and I try to recall

the days of holding hands,

dancing and watching dance,

climbing mountains with our border collie

that launched our journey so quietly.

Reviews

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Isn't it funny how time just seems to disappear when life happens- Then you look back and wonder how you got there in the first place!

The phrase:

"The real estate competition
for open mental space
fans out in my mind
like a fast-paced auction"

really caught my attention because you describe it so perfectly! You have amazing talent and structure to all of your writing! I'm envious! Thank you for sharing it with me!

[Crimson1]

i think your moments of meditation and cherry wood desks are why our minds are like fire crackers, accept it you sold out and your kids are crazy. Pump them full of ritalin and aderall then maybe you can listen to jazz and climb a mountain with your dog while your kid has seizures and writes out a hit list.

[Gandré]

Oh this was melancholic but beautiful... How are you? I didn t see you for so long (didn t talk to you for so long).
"Life moves ahead and me with it,
relishing the rare moments for a hug " =>> this is liked best!

David this poem made my day. also perfect ending.

[Kevin Connolly]

The first stanza makes poetry out of a typical office desk: cluttered with stationery.
The second stanza shows how stale life can become, competing on a daily basis, struggling to met deadlines while - on the home front - teenagers destroy any moments of quiet meditation.
And the third stanza brings it all together, showing those quiet moments, the little enjoyments that make life beautiful.
Brilliant poetry, David.