That need for speed (a poem)
A poem about slowing down life to live more...
speed
Perhaps we try to fill it all up
To have markers showing we really were here
Little intents, moments we hurried through
Hoping speed, sheer grit will burn through the fear
Ground in our steps in a fool's certain march
Leaving shallow footprints, we smugly displayed
Even as we turned, hurried onto new roads
Winds blew, time flooded in, faded them away
Our breathless jottings of all that we saw
Our mad recounting of lists we crossed off
Miles we covered, turned to see if we missed any
Marking meaningless baubles, petty wars
But as we reached our maturing hour
If we were lucky our hands were warm
Only such loves that sustained with us
Had kept pace, walked steadily along
They said you'll not know how happy you turned out to be
And as I sit listening to the chimes that hum with me
I mark the uncounted: great loves, kind forgivers, steady rocks, true mirrors,
No other counter, nor currency could this life be measured in…###
reena | some time in the past decade or more…
(from my debut book of poetry (2021): Arrivals & Departures: Journeys in Poems)
I wrote this poem a while ago. It arrived when I started to feel like life was whizzing by. Too fast. Ironically, I needed to — actually, wanted to — slow down and savor more. Be more indulgent with what matters, yet do less and more deliberately narrow the aperture of who and what gets my attention. I’m happy to report that I’ve made great strides in all of that, even as I continue to strive.
Fortunately, a writing life demands a quietude, a solitude and a willingness for reading, deliberation and creation. That’s been calling to me for a while. And I feel like I’m finally listening.
This poem is in some ways also related to my 100-word story titled “Sweet Legacies”
I live in that solitude which is painful in youth, but delicious in the years of maturity.
— Albert Einstein
This is a wonderful reminder of the importance of stillness and quiet in the writer's life.
Also, you take some stunning photos.
Thank you for sharing!
Love this beautiful writing and feeling - I totally relate to the need to slow down as life is whirling around, how much it can ne in our choice to have that and a lot not ours to choose.