March 29, 2021

01

We can talk about the joy of life
all we want,
but what keeps us going
is mostly inertia. 

"We just go."

"Just going" is mostly enough.
It got us here anyway.
It can be depended on
to get us to where 
"it all just peters out."

You could make a case for
all of us just waiting
to dwindle away into nothing,
with each of us,
in our own way,
being answers to the question:
"In the meantime, what?"

I'm going to go out asking
the questions that beg to be asked,
and saying the things that cry out
to be said,
and laughing at the all of it,
as "much to-do about nothing."

We make such a to-do over things
that simply do not matter
because they are important to us
at the time.
And we carry them out
as though they are important.

Living as though it is important
that we live
is the central axis--
the Axis Mundi--
around which everything coalesces.
It is what holds it all together.

I water the lawn,
knowing everything I water,
including me the water-boy,
is going to die,
but in the meantime, 
I'm going to live as though
we will all be here forever,
and a little water will help 
us on to the petering out place.
Which is where we are all going,
but how we get there is the thing.

Let's get there helping each other
along the way!
Watering the lawn!
Doing the necessary-even-though-superfluous things:
the thoughtful little kindnesses,
the wonderful expressions of grace
and compassion,
the beautiful gestures of attentive, caring, presence,
the amazing combinations of elegance and frivolity,
the gaiety,
the joy...


If it doesn't matter how we live,
let's live as though it does--
anyway,
nevertheless,
even so!

Why not?