Striving for happiness,

we worry so about

the then and when

that now’s forgotten 

in the world’s swirl.

Like a child’s top,

we wobble wildly

gaining balance,

losing equilibrium,

forgetting the moment

the top gyrates

into a stillness;

it seems unmoving

even as it spins,

and spins, and spins.

(February 21, 2023)