subtext

(the page of cups, rider-white)

Since I retired, I am asked what it is

I will do, where I will be traveling,

as if I must have an itemized list

which must quickly be dispatched each morning.

This morning after walking with Maisie

before the heat became unbearable,

I made breakfast for Lisa and myself,

ate, then drank a leisurely second cup—

Time’s no longer a leather whip and chain:

the tight drive to work down I-35,

while mapping out the duties for the day,

the constant need for needless minutia.

There is time enough to read, and to write.

There is time enough to be happy—

(August 24, 2023)