Tag Archives: Conversation

A Room

During dinner I said, "My feet
are too large for my room."

She said, "Any room means riotous
wealth upon which you can walk."

I said, "But cramped living leads to small
bitternesses and resentments."

She added, "And also for cozy living
arrangements that call for lots of snuggling."

I smiled. "I welcome those small delights
which can be found when space is at a premium."

She said, "All of creation is one large room."

Next Door

I said, "In my childhood room I cried myself 
to sleep every night believing God was absent,
not realizing that God was the room."

She said, "And look at how many rooms
you have in your house today."

I added, "Though I tire myself out with 
the preponderance of dark thoughts 
and what seems to me to be their endless 
repetition."

She said, "You do such a great job
of taking the mystic's advice, greeting
them at the door, laughing."

I said, "Even the taste of laughter
in my mouth turns bitter with the
sorrow on the face of my neighbor."

She said, "Kiss me, so I can taste it
and then we can make brownies together
and take them next door to share."

Many Waters

I said, "I awoke this morning believing
waves are caused by dolphins."

She said, "If those waves don't drown us,
we can all play together at the water 
fountain park."

I asked, "Which do you like more: slides,
pools or jets of water intermittently
hurling out of nowhere?"

She answered, "I like it most when my
expectations are disastrously too low."

I remembered, "King David once wrote 
of how God draws us out of many waters."

She thought aloud, "I wonder what
the many waters may be."

Duplex Dream

I said, "Last night I dreamed of living 
in the lower level of a duplex."

She said, "Surely it was a nightmare
knowing the space where you lived
when I first met you."

I said, "Though my stay ended so lovely.  
You riding in on your beautiful stallion 
to save me."

She laughed.  "I remember calling out
for you to let down your hair so I could
pull you up."

I laughed too and added, "And here 
I had just taken the clippers to my hair."

She said, "And thus began our long
tradition of making do with what
the other has given to us."

Cram

     "But smaller bundles - Cram" - Emily Dickinson

I said, "On the way to loosening up,
stumbling blocks appear at random 
encountering my understanding."

She asked, "Do you want your days 
to be as easy as a bird of prey riding
the air, upheld by nothing?"

I answered, "I am looking for a way
to share my joy of living so others
may recognize what makes me smile."

She said, "In this time, the difference 
between recognition and figuring out 
what matters lasts only as long as the time 
it takes for a tear to slide down a cheek."

I asked, "Tell me, did yesterday's peculiar
ending shape the melancholic words
you speak today?"

She answered, "Halfway endings and 
unfinished finales and hazy outcomes
always, in the words of the poet, 'Cram.'"

Why not tell me?

Because.
Because we have a protocol to follow.
Because resistance grieves me.
Because I don't want to participate.
Because it is against my belief.
Because my health does not allow me.
Because someone is listening to us.
Because the metaphor doesn't make sense.
Because we are still walking the privilege walk.
Because the root cause has not been found.
Because the devotion of others has waned.
Because power has not been shared.
Because you shouldn't be in the loop.
Because I don't have time.
Because.

Storylines

I said, "The balance in my checking
account has reached a new high."

She replied, "Remember: narratives
of aggregates always serve wealth."

I agreed.  "I am aware of the different
storylines used by the storytellers."

She added, "And the layers of power,
hidden from most, continue to pull
the children from their families."

I asked, "What is the history in my 
particular landscape that tells where 
I am today?"

She answered, "You were the minority
when you arrived and, luckily, it turned 
out fine for you."

Greatest Satisfaction

I said, "Sometimes the greatest satisfaction
comes from the two words, 'File Uploaded.'"

She looked up from her notebook.
"A good conversation about the lack 
of intellectualism in modern society
can stir the spirit as well."

I thought for a second, closed my computer,
and said, "Perhaps knowing three days out
that one will soon be comfortable is enough."

She replied, "Looks like someone needs 
to go on a six-mile run after pressing <Send>."

"Sounds good."  I went on, "To be followed
immediately by some smart media coordination."

She said, "Remember to never let go of the mind
of the oppressed and of those who suffer from
never accepting their lack of compliance."

Bidden

I said, "Once bidden,
I abide."

She replied, "It is as if one never 
went to the principal's office."

Confused, again, I asked, "And
isn't it attention that leads
to taking care?"

She answered, "Remember,
though we come from the middle
we live now on the edges."

Smiling, "Steadfast devotion
makes for a great theme party."

She said, "You would make a
great entertainer role model."