I must start somewhere for leisure or misfortune:
A palm tree outside our door, well spread leaves like wings
I walk with my walking stick to the river in pleasant weather
My balance mildly affected after I contracted long term covid
I slow my walk wary of obstacles, tiny and not always obvious
not evading the voice of reason: “Look and listen.”
I’m not anxious or scared.
I’m not hearing a chorus of voices.
I accept willingly the circumtances
like being aware of bones when eating a whole fish,
not fillet but a whole fish with improved flavor and texture.
–
A flower bud sprouting along the path
brings desirable pleasure when walking
or a startled bird or a squirrel that looks perplexed
looking one way or another way, leaving
the tree branches quiverring.
–
Or a starting ipoint can be my neighbor
who greets me a good day expression
and telling me, today is a day to rejoice,
to celebrate his friend’s arrival.
They met in college, she says.
They plant tulips at the same time
every year in their own gardens
music they share of different tastes
but Beethoven they both adore.
–
I have to say goodbye to my friendly neighbor
not every morning starts with a dissertation
though without mention of life’s calamities or extravagance
either of the river or at sea.
The books I’m reading: Fates and Furies by Lauren Groff, The Adventures of Robinson Crusoe by Daniel Defoe and The Science of Learning Physics by Jose P. Mestre and Jennifer L. Docktor