it was noon when
i stepped off the busy street
into the quiet courtyard
at the church of San Silvestro.
didn’t go in to see john the Baptist’s head again.
there are a few in Rome,
john’s head, that is.
i’ve seen a couple.
here the courtyard brick walls are adorned with
fragment marble pieces bearing inscriptions, some
carved graffiti, from posted public notices and grave
markers a few hundred,to more than a two thousand years ago.
blocked from wind by tall yellowed travertine walls,
in a streaming beam of sun i sat outside,
on an old, smooth worn white marble bench,
to tie my shoe and consider.
i didn’t plan on considering.
my intention to be there
was to tie my shoe.
but since i was here anyway . . .
.
it’s a fine old courtyard
if it were in my back yard
i’d be able to do nothing for a while and observe,
but that is difficult here
when i had a single purpose
for my pause in this place
and really should
be moving along.
it’s another spot where tourists
and the prayerful pass.
most without inclination to sit and consider.
even those who come to go inside to pray
have other things on their minds.
but i, with no intention for being there,
other than to tie my shoe,
took the moment to soak in beauty.
and that reminds me of something ,
this morning when i awaoke it occurred to me
how everyone is living their life
as fast as they can.
Thursday, November 18, 2010
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1 comment:
I'm glad when you stopped to tie your shoes you got to drink in the beauty. It reminds me, when I'm hiking, and I stop to rest, those can be the best times, to take in the world around me, and just marvel at where I am, trees and mountains, insects and birds, and a quality of light. Your poems take the reader on a journey, and remind us of our own. Here's to slowing down...
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