Place your fussy mind in a top drawer. Hear the closing click.
Hang a favorite and weighty item. You don’t need a key.
Listen for the jostling and grumbling inside. Say, “STAY!”
Put on your happy shoes and saunter out the door.
Let nature intrigue with its winter delights.
Trees will have shed their leaves but evergreens prevail.
Feel grateful release from tendrils of mind.
Go into your heart to flee into sensory experiences.
Discover your neighborhood: fireplace smoke,
a lingering rose, fresh earth, a gush of wind.
Breathe a drift of lavender. Hear a phoebe or crow’s call.
Wander until you have forgotten your mind.
Just take your time. No need to rush.
Energize the spirit and play.
When you return, open the drawer
to a renewal of friendship.
Penny Wilkes, MFA served as a science editor, travel and nature writer and columnist. Along with short stories, her features on humor and animal behavior have appeared in a variety of publications. An award-winning writer and poet, she has published a collection of short stories, Seven Smooth Stones. Her published poetry collections include: Whispers from the Land, In Spite of War, and Flying Lessons. Her blog on The Write Life features life skills, creativity, and writing.
Sparks of Calliope 