TRYING MY BEST

Today is a lovely day for a drive, isn’t it?
But it is not a day
to follow road signs, not a day to follow
a map. It is a day to follow the fruits in the orchards,
to look at the health
of the power line poles, to wonder
about the lives of the people in the homes
we pass by. The hum of the car and wheels
on pavement create an unsyncopated rhythm.
Gradually the day
will turn to night. The earth
will become quiet as I listen in, as if
it hopes I will discover something
inside of it, as if it summons
everything around it
to nudge me along until something good comes
for everyone.

(19 November 2006)