Moments

You know, I still don’t know
exactly what to do.
… But that’s not true.

I may not know the grander goals
of human kind, or the cosmic
purpose of it all,
but, if I am honest, I do know
how I want to live the next
few moments of my life.

I’ll cook a careful meal
a few moments at a time.
We’ll eat it carefully,
together, a bite at a time.
I’ll wash the dishes with care,
dry them and put them away.
Then I may write a word or two,
another chore, a book to read,
Qigong, conversation …
My own version of, “chop wood, carry water,”
is all I really need to know.

I do know what to do,
right now, right here.
The trick lies in knowing what not to do.
Stop distracting, diverting,
ruminating, calculating,
worrying, planning,
idling, frittering,
and all the myriad things
an insane mind can conjure …
without these things, I always know
exactly what to do,
at least for the next few minutes –
and really, what else is there?

One moment at a time,
who knows,
I may change the world.