I forgot to wonder yesterday
so today the noise is louder
I don’t have the buffer
from lingering imaginings
of trips to the high mountains
or swimming with turtles
or sailing the springtime seas
I need to wonder more
and listen less
to find the quiet places
where I can still my mind
and let the wonder take me
I need to do it every day
to shut down those voices that
tell me there are chores to do
the ones that admonish me
about the dangers of idle hands
and the need to be productive
If I let it the wonder can take me
deep into complex questions
of befores and afters
of the nature of the universe
and of beauty and love
but wondering isn’t always soulful
it can be practical too
Just the other day
while making my coffee
I noticed an ant on the counter
and quickly dispatched it
then another and another
randomly dispersed
wandering about
not organized into any obvious trail
just solo adventurers or scouts I guess
out to find the goods
so I spent the next half hour
leaning on my counter
trying to find their point of entry
and while I watched
I began to wonder
what is it like to be an ant
getting into line every morning
following one another blindly
after receiving marching orders
at the annual springtime
assault planning strategy retreat
maybe they have tiny little devices hidden
in my kitchen to let them know when
I am asleep and the house is dark
and they can attack
I wonder if they have names
and best friends
and fall in love
and miss their friends
when they don’t come home
because I squished them on my counter
and if they hate me for that
and are plotting to get even
So that’s how it happens
when I allow the wonder in
one thought leads to another
no telling where it will go
kind of like this poem I guess
I used to like washing dishes by hand
because it was a good time to wonder
standing there at the sink
hands in warm soapy water
swishing around an old rag on dirty dishes
the mind could be free
I don’t do that anymore
we have a dishwasher now
no need for me to wash them
I suppose I still could
Oh! Look! Another ant
Damn it!
Marv Himmel
January 31, 2018 ©