The lobby is empty
and quiet.
I have a quarter cup
of coffee left.
My bookmark is a stub
from postponed jury duty —
said I’d be out of state
for a while.
Not a total lie.
It’s warm for November
in New York.
Outside the window
there’s a barefoot woman
doing yoga on the grass.
The sun is setting.
This will be
the calmest moment
of my day.
So I drink up the peace
along with my coffee dregs.
Shit, I forgot what this was
supposed to be about.
That’s probably a good thing.
Garbage Notes:
Here’s a short one to usher you into the weekend. It’s a reminder to savor the quiet moments when you get them. It’s also a poem about being mindful and present in your surroundings.
No matter what sort of stress is going on in your life, you can always find some time to pause. Maybe get a cup of coffee or tea, and take a breath or two.
Be aware and observant of what’s happening around you. And let yourself settle into the day. Or night. Or whatever.
I wrote this three Novembers ago, during a pretty daunting period of my life. We were all knee-deep in the pandemic, bracing ourselves for the upcoming winter surge of sickness. I had decided to do a new and different sort of job after having had my previous job shut down temporarily with no re-start in sight. It was definitely a weird and scary time.
Despite all that, this poem represents an attempt to rise above it. It’s me using the act of writing itself to forget the bullshit that could have dragged me down into a spiral of negativity. Instead of wallowing in it, I slipped away to my favorite peaceful spot, grabbed myself a cup of coffee, and wrote about the simple details of what was around me.
Sometimes, you can’t wait for a specific kind of special inspiration. You may not get your next great idea for a science fiction story. Or you’re miles away from that brilliant prose that you think you need for your next great novel. But you can still write something.
You can still bask in the austere elegance of the world around you. Filter it through your head into something real and authentic.
When I have no clue what to write about. I start with what’s around me. And it all flows from there. I really did use my jury duty notice as a bookmark. There really was a neighbor doing yoga on the grass in an unseasonably warm November. And I really did drink up the peace that evening, right down to the last coffee dregs.
Franco Amati 2023
This reminds me of your piece about sitting in your car. These quiet escapes are so important! Lovely mindful poem, Franco.
I love this! It’s so much like my morning thoughts, except I will see a cow grazing or a vulture soaring. Wonderful. Thank you!