Thomas Merton teaches happiness
is found by those who know the fullness
in (not of) time, those who learn to be
fully present to the moment, even
listening as well as they can
to birds. This morning a magpie
takes the day by the throat. I try but
the old man next door has his ladder up
just outside the room
where I was wanting to stay asleep.
He’s been painting since six o’clock
wanting to avoid the heat
getting his house ready for Christmas.
Soon his wife will call to him.
They’ll talk about the colour of the paint
or what they’ll eat for lunch or whether they can afford
to buy the grandchildren many gifts.
Then I’ll tell myself it’s time
to crawl backwards from bed and get
ready for the nurse who promised
she’d be early today. She also said
the wound is clean and healing well.