Here I am again pondering the wonderful
It only takes a moment to close my eyes and escape the here and now
funny to be present but not in attendance

My eye lids dim and a flickering thought is sparked inside the proverbial fireplace I'm in that place where the only verb is to be
Only the loveliest thoughts happen here
an old house, an old truck and an old cat
not everything is aged though, only when I want it to be

Me, I'm there as well and simple is my only accessory
long hair and health are my reality there and I do as I please
sometimes, but not lately, I've left the house or it doesn't exist yet
the fire place is cold and the house is dark

I'm sitting on a stage, a large stage
It's hushed as I sit on a single chair and be
be in front of thousands of other people who are being as well
but sometimes, lately, I've left the stage or it doesn't exist yet either
the stage is bare and the audience empty

I'm sitting in the dirt, I dig my hands deep into the soil so I know that I'm alive
there across from me is a woman
she tells me about her life in her country
a small infant, a small wage, a small inheritance of hope

Not everything is small though, only when I want it to be
mostly because it's up to me what I choose to see and what I don't
the only thing that is overwhelming large is the heaviness and then the realization of responsibility
as a woman and as a life

I tie up my hair, kiss the child and slowly shift the weight of my backpack evenly over my shoulders and pull the straps securely around my waist
and in walking away, I fear that I've gone back to my real place. I think.