Moved By The Night
The Day Was Beautiful
Follow me
In my thoughts and actions
The sun was out
The weather was warmer than it has been
You felt like there is nothing you couldn't do
Waking up early
Only trying to tackle
What is within my reach
Making the most of my day
Squeezing in food shopping at the grocery store
Going on errands that needed to be done
Preparing breakfast, sliding in lunch, topping it off with a light supper
Hanging up the laundry from the wash
While outside watering the flowers that are bone dry
Raking up some leaves that need to disappear
A wonderful shower to clean off any dirt and wash off any bad feelings that have come my way
Now a little before eight
The darkness moves in
I grab a bowl of cut-up celery to chomp
As I sit down on the laptop for the first time today
My head now filled up with all the ideas that have been floating around
I am eager to begin
With all my chores and obligations finished
Now I can do what I want to do
My wife drawing earlier and listening to the news
Listening to the t.v. in the background
I sit one room away
Off in our kitchen
I stare out into the pitch-black
As the only light that can be seen
Is the reflection of the kitchen light against the glass
I had so many plans that never came true
If I had a briefcase it would be stuffed
With so many notes and drawings
It is never too late to begin
If I was in college
It would be all my homework assignments
Requiring my immediate attention
I know I have to begin with one class
Then when that one is finished
Moving on until the next one is done
With that one out of the way
I am making some good progress
No time to relax
If I stop I will lose my momentum
The next subject is my toughest
I move it to the bottom
Waiting for when I am ready
Then I can rattle it off when the time is right
There isn't a class I can leave out
From time to time
I close my eyes
I picture each assignment being completed
Not just haphazardly
But with full commitment and dedication
Like nothing else matters
I pour another glass of water
This has to be my fifth one
Some people turn to alcohol
To get there fix
I turn on my motivation
Then drive it to overdrive
Where I know if I don't do it now
It won't get done
I set my mind free
I picture me spending a day at the beach
Where the water is so cold
But that doesn't stop me
From jumping in
Rushing back out as fast as I can
Shivering from the chill
In just a few minutes warming up again
I can feel the heat on my brow
The sun so bright
Even with sunglasses
It is still a challenge
As my eyes squint
My stomach finally settles from all the food I had earlier
I reach over to have some peanuts
Even the peanuts don't give up without a fight
As I crack each one with my teeth
Forcing them out of their shell
My wife asks for some grapes
No problem
I am getting up anyway
For the seventh-inning stretch
The hours tick on by
All my progress depends on it
Every move is crucial
When the day is over
What will I have to show for it?
Writing that came out of thin air
One that means something to me
It required all my time and energy
I had to constantly rearrange my sentences
Correct my spelling as I go
I didn't do it alone
Spell check is a wonderful invention
That never gets the spotlight it deserves
I could go on for hours
Opening up another can of worms
Instead, I keep focused
Pulling the grapes from the stem
I feel the cold water on my fingertips
As I wash them off
Topped off by a swirl of whip cream
I decided to have some too
A quick pick me up
As I finish my last few lines
I float like a small branch
Caught by the force of the river
I thought I have made each of my choices
Then again maybe
I was guided in the right direction
By the people who know me well
By following their lead
I can write one more poem
When light can no longer be seen
In the darkness, we will flourish
All it takes is one-click
When I hit publish