Thursday, September 11, 2014

When the Little Things Become Small

When the Little Things Become Small
Peter T. Atkinson

(written 9/11/14 -- 13 years later)
“Don’t sweat the small stuff,”
So they say, but small is relative,
For small is just less big, or little,
So how do you ever know, until you do?
And when you do, when there is no question:
That little thing, right there, that is small. I get it,
Now. Now, what changed? — Everything.
For now  your eyes are open; you can see
All at once, and compare, and prioritize,
And make clear decisions about lifethe ones
You used to just float through in the wave,
The pulling tide of routine, the speed,
And busyness, where everything is big
And intense and consuming and looming
Awash in the mess of life, in the midst
Of life, missing life. What happens
To make the little things become small?
What causes the shift—that perspective
Giving shift—of distance, and space,
And separation from self? On days
Like these the small looms too large for us
To remember days like those all to our peril. 

No comments:

Post a Comment