and write a list

if you have
too many things to do
and not enough time
you should write a list

get a piece of paper
and note down
all the things
that need to be done

put the note
in your pocket

take your pants off
put them in the wash

when your pants are dry
put your hand in your pocket
and pull out the note

if anything is legible
then that is
what you must do
if nothing is legible
then that is
what you must do
also

we come back here

when our day of work is done
when the tram doors open
when the car
retraces its steps

when the party
lives on
the next day
in sleep-deprived eyes
and small strips of
conversation

when new friends enter our lives
and old ones drift away
when epic journeys
to far away places
end

when audacious schemes
are born
and grand dreams
dim and fade

when seasons change
and there’s washing
on the line
and warm smells
from an open window

when it’s time
we come back here

and we peer
over cups of tea
at each other
and wonder
when this place
became our home

deep pool

stop and stare
into the deep pool
the dark circle
of your humanity

see the fallibility
the weakness
the fear
the doubt

accept all this
embrace them
like a brother
gone wrong
like a sister
whose heart
turned to stone
like a father who
could not lead
and a mother
who fled

touch the surface
of the deep pool
the hidden feelings
of your heart

see the ripples
go out
on and on
in every direction

the reflection hovers
like an old film
but the stillness
holds your gaze
from looking deeper