A heroic slow down

In a world obsessed 
With more and more
An act of resistance 
Is to say 'enough'
To resign from the demands 
Of peers and pop culture 

Call it sustainability 
Or plain old sanity
A delicious senility
Climate action
Social justice or
Just self care

Away from bright rectangles
Of all possible sizes
No bombardment 
Of senseless ads
No gasping and drowning 
In the information overload 

Some lazy weekends 
Doing nothing cool
No meat, no car
Fly less, buy less
Read, write, run
Plenty of naps
Fruits and veggies 
Wee bit of schnapps

Books and bikes
Walks and hikes
Trains and trams
Local vacations
Flaneuring about
On small city streets
And untrodden trails

Not just consuming 
Art and music
But yeah creating
Art and music 

Back to the present

"One way to open your eyes to unnoticed beauty is to ask yourself, 'What if I had never seen this before? What if I knew I would never see it again?" ~Rachel Carson

I try and I fail
Again and again
As I drag myself
Now from the grudges of the past
Then from the checklists of the future

When will I at last
Arrive at the present
To behold the beauty
That I've gotten used to

They say ignorance is bliss
I say knowing too well is a curse
Wrest yourself from its shackles
Lean into this very moment
With the curiosity of an empty cup