I hear
there is a magical place of ease
of grace
of flowingness
where one’s mind is like water
one’s desk is, like, clean
and shit gets done
by the bucketload
without the effort
ever feeling effortful.
I have bought
the occasional day pass
to this magical place
only to be called back
by sudden conflagration
or cold-sweat-panic
to the Land of the Exploding To-Do List
I love the idea
of me as Zen monk
as Mr. Miyagi
as Peaceful Warrior
but not enough
it seems
to do the heavy lifting
or the letting go
which is heavy lifting
of another color
So for now I will simply
observe myself
dealing with crowdedness
dabbling in roominess
and leave it at that
trusting that somewhere
between the waves
of crowdedness
and roominess
I will find my balance
or make my peace
with the lack of it
Which
I’m fairly certain
is just balance
of another color
Image by brtsergio via Flickr, used under a Creative Commons license.

I love Poetry Thursday! You are such an amazing writer and I get so much pleasure from reading your poems. This is my favorite part…
So for now I will simply
observe myself
dealing with crowdedness
dabbling in roominess
and leave it at that
trusting that somewhere
between the waves
of crowdedness
and roominess
I will find my balance
or make my peace
with the lack of it
ABSOLUTELY BEAUTIFUL!
So when are you going to do a book of your poems? Frankly I’d buy one in a NY minute and I don’t even like poetry.
Yours though is the best I’ve read.
Judith
ditto
Oh my gosh, Colleen, you made me cry again. This place you’re writing about is my home.
Zen is like a bitter mistress. Just as you attain enlightenment, she gets PMS.
Really? A poetry book?
Hm…if I make a book of my poetry-which-is-not-really-poetry, then maybe the book is not really a book, which takes the pressure off.
Hmm…
(And Pace, you and the bawling. Seriously. If we ever sit down to watch Dancer in the Dark together, we’re going to have to get a stack of king-sized bed sheets to use as Kleenex.)
dreamy sigh. I know this monastery….
I think “dabbling in roominess” is a WONDERFUL line.
Danielle – Having met you, I’ve no doubt.
PB – Thank you! But an even better concept, I think.