Scott Owens’ most recent poem to appear here was The Hard Times to Come (August 2012).
Keeping Pace
By Scott Owens
I’m slowing down,
not because I have to,
not because the joints
of my bones take longer to bend,
not because rising from bed
I’ve become like a crane slowly
unfolding and lifting from water,
but because I’ve learned
how much everything likes
to be touched gently, carefully,
stroked, rubbed, placed,
nestled where it feels most
right, because the good enough
job was never really
good enough, and more
was never better than good.
not because I have to,
not because the joints
of my bones take longer to bend,
not because rising from bed
I’ve become like a crane slowly
unfolding and lifting from water,
but because I’ve learned
how much everything likes
to be touched gently, carefully,
stroked, rubbed, placed,
nestled where it feels most
right, because the good enough
job was never really
good enough, and more
was never better than good.
Wow! There is verity in these words. I wish I’d written them! Thank you for this poem, Scott.