Just So

Hello, friends.

Somehow we have reached September already, and the sunlight is shifting to a different glow here in Athens even though the temperature still hits 90 degrees. Writer Lewis Richmond reminds us in a Buddhist summary: “everything is connected, nothing lasts, you are not alone.” Just so. Here is a short poem about taking time to enjoy all things, even the inevitable change of the season. It’s from my first book of poems, “Ear to the Ground.” (2013)

“Just So”
Tall bamboo in afternoon sun
shimmers green and gold.
No plans for tomorrow,
I listen to birds and freeway hum.
Bugs and butterflies visit,
as I watch a squirrel
pitch chestnut pieces
down the steep roof.
No empires to conquer,
no fans to impress,
not anxious about enlightenment,
just here, just now, just so.