Friday
Apr222011
Racing Into Funeral Plots
Friday, April 22, 2011 
Did I do it?
Just barely, with minutes to spare.
There is always too little time.
I want to do twenty-four things,
but three will have to suffice.
Life is longer at five than at thirty-eight.
At five, I had been alive forever.
I had been five forever.
Now, everything is only yesterday,
and I race headlong into five years from now.
I get letters from a local cemetery.
They insist that it's good to think ahead
when it comes to picking out our funeral plots.
I can't imagine that I'll care moments from now
when I'm relieved of this speeding meat train I'm on.
Where was I?
Oh, yes.
I was doing this.
I very nearly forgot,
but, now that I'm back, the moment's grown a little longer.
I keep forgetting that I can slow this bitch down
when I remember to see what's right in front of me.
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The above poem is a response to Amy Turn Sharp's call for 5-minute breakfast poems on Fridays during the month of April.
Reader Comments (7)
"everything is only yesterday"
I sure hope that thought is fleeting. Incredible adventures await you.
Sometimes I feel like I'm moving at break-neck speed, only to realize I'm missing all the cool scenery.
"I keep forgetting that I can slow this bitch down/ when I remember to see what's right in front of me. " <-- this exactly!
Yes - the trick is in remembering the present, to let go of the past and abstain from worrying over the future.
living in the present, being present, is a lot harder at 38 than it was at 5. thank you for reminding me who is in charge of slowing it down and remembering to be aware.
the bitch has been nagging me lately as I've recently discovered 4 months past 40. slowing her down would do me some good.
man do i love your poetry. every time I read it, I feel compelled to write something of my own, and then realize why bother? It would never live up - I'll just wait for the next Shmoetry installment instead.
"I want to do twenty-four things,
but three will have to suffice."
Story of my life. Some days I'm doing good to make it to one or two.