practice walking and listening

(don’t touch your eyes)

practice gratitude! for the flower,
the lilac tree née bush, the scent crossing
the street greeting those lucky enough to pass by
practice looking through sunglasses eyes
full of pollen and watering as if
everything is falling apart, it is
practice saying how you feel to people
you love straight to their face, holding them up
as they buckle or readying your arms
for future catching practice, regular
friendship practice more coffee
more flowers more more
and more talking and listening.

walking back on forth on playgrounds, talking into earbuds about the future, matching your feet to the lines painted to show where
to play dodgeball, click play on the song
it makes you feel human again
walking to the theater, dodging cartoon characters, pushing the secret button that clicks to allow you to enter thought the side door
walking to the waiting ocean, soundless air, sea spray flying up
slapping drops across the windshield on the 1.

listening for the tick and plop of rain after thunder
listening to the cat curl and purr
listening to Nick Drake croon from the bedroom
listening to the raindrops gather steam
now picking up, picking up
the house when it’s time to put
the house to bed like my friend says, thunder clap!
listening for a kid’s secret-sized snicker
prompted by a very good book, lent to her
by a good friend who said, OH yeah you can
borrow it — you’re going to love it.