how can I be in the present

when I need two hands to twitter and tweet

when world events are everywhere all the time

 

above   below   under   inside   outside

slithering through

ear buds   flat screens   cell phones

 

and I miss the exact second the rose

opens its red lips or the dramatic entrance

of the lilac’s perfume as it catches a ride

on the back of a spring breeze

and floats through my open window

 

how can I listen   to my breath

move    in   move   out   move   in   move out

 

through the rumbles of cement trucks  

bells and whistles of garbage trucks  

siren songs   ring tones   doorbells

computer music and twitches

 

how can I possibly be

in the moment

when the world is so

 

in my face 

in my ears 

in my rooms  

in my yard

swallowing this

moment and

the next and next and next…

 

how in this world do I let go

of all the cacophonous chaos

 

practice     practice    practice

 

 

This poem first appeared on the Illinois State Poets Society Website.

Used here with the author’s permission.