In the Perfect Place and Time
Suspended perfectly in time,
or so it seems,
as I sit and reflect that there is
no place I’d rather be.
“What I’d give to be right here for just one moment,” I think.
To soak it in:
the present,
this moment.
When you think of it that way,
as this moment being no place you’d rather be,
you see it differently.
You see
its uniqueness, its perfection,
from another’s eyes.
This bliss, this stillness
that money can’t buy.
It’s here
in my wake,
right before me—
and I’m in it now.
How many places have I been
where I’d long to be
in this place,
right now?
How many feelings, experiences have I felt
where I’ve longed to be
anywhere but there,
but somewhere like here?
And I’m here now.
On Observing Oneself
When I stand back and watch myself,
I see thoughts, frustrations and distractions arise.
I see my eyes
dotting from one thing to another.
I see the tendency to follow the immediate source of attention
—it’s fascinating, really.
Are we not just animals, following crazily
after everything we find interesting?
I wonder, If I study myself curiously,
can I not learn how to manage myself more effectively?
To be more happy?
Can I learn what shiny objects entice me,
what things cause me
to divert my focus?
What tasks I engage in
leave me feeling anxious and restless?
And if I can identify those things,
can I eliminate them completely?
Can I create a battle plan of sorts, an action plan designed
to minimize the distractions of my mind?
Not just distractions, but the unsettling emotions,
the diverting, energy-depleting,
useless sensations
that occupy my mind
and keep me from enjoying life?
Maybe, I wonder,
if I can just observe myself, like a specimen of sorts,
I can step back and study myself separately.
I can see myself as an object of humanity.
That’s what’s interesting, really.
I am not just myself, but a representation of humanity.
A representation of a human being.
I don’t take the observations personally,
they are just as they are. And this is just my being.
She is just as he is, just as they are. That’s all.
We’re just human beings.
And these are just human feelings.
The Actions of My Mind
When I quietly slow the thoughts of my mind,
I can slow
even the actions of my body.
I can move to the tempo
of my choosing,
and it’s almost like a dance of sorts:
Speeding up the rhythm, then
slowing it
right down
to a tempo
I feel,
and with each small action
I feel in control.
Lost, engrossed
in each small action, I find
I’m free,
relaxed,
at ease.
It doesn’t matter the action, it just matters the way
I move,
with careful attention
to each subtle motion.
It’s liberating, intentional,
meditational, even.
And with each movement,
I remind my mind
to slow down
and rewind
back from the future,
back from the past,
to this millisecond of time: now.
Just now,
that’s all that’s required of me.
That’s all I need to be
happy, at ease and perfectly free.
Now,
right here
in this moment.
«RELATED READ» POEMS BY CHRISTIE LEIGH BABIRAD: Jazz Soul, Jealousy and more»
image 1: Pixabay
