slip-sliding away…..

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I wrote this back in July 2019, in the office one morning as I sat – numbed by boring work I dearly wished to escape. Across from me, against the window, the rising Winter sun combined with the gentle wind to form a dance of trees, and I marveled at this wonder – just for a few seconds – feeling so inspired, and so ready to write a poem. Alas, I could not give in and let it flow, for work called. I could only wish that the inspiration would remain, or at least revisit, later that day, when I would finally have time to express what was inside.

It didn’t happen.

And life moved on. 8 months later, COVID came, and with it, what eventually became a permanent work from home arrangement for me. And while I value this setup, I think the weight of being in the same environment day after day, almost without any variety, weighs on me. Especially because there’s always other things going on at home – which makes me feel more burdened, because home life has its own endless sets of tasks and worries. I get my work done, of course, but just being home – with the intrusions and reminders of what needs to be done after hours – can be taxing.

And so at this time of year, when my wife and kids are home (school closed last week), I take the opportunity to go back to what was once my office. A large, open plan office which used to house our small team – back when, for most, going to work meant physically going to another place.

We lost this office years ago, when it became clear that work-from-home would be our new normal. And after a long time of it sitting almost-unused, it has finally been refurbished into a collaborative work space – a meeting room with different options, for any type of work gathering you would need. It’s a lovely space, and at this time of year, completely unused, so I rejoice in having it all to myself in these few remaining days before my work year officially ends.

And that, dear reader, is what inspired the “Bliss” portion of this post – which follows. It’s completely rough – unpolished and unedited – but, like so many of my pieces, I don’t intend to work on it further. It’s published now because it captured the now. A testament to the gratitude I feel having come full circle, back to the place which was once my work home.

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Workday Bliss

Dancing shadows on the window
as the afternoon sun plays
with leaves swaying
from the courtyard’s tree.

It’s a very different time –
now years later.
No pressure.
No heavy work.
No companions.

Solitude within
this vast, open space –
once a work home,
now a meeting place.

Dishes clang
in the adjacent kitchen,
while the sounds of the street –
horns and the hum of traffic,
and taxis seeking customers –
strangle the silence
I so crave,
in this rare escape
from a home
that became a permanent workplace
almost 5 years ago.

Yet for all the noise outside,
there is peace within.
A gentle quiet
which soaks through my soul,
inviting solace.

No demands nor queries.
No intrusions,
surroundings light and airy;
a state of bliss not found
in the day-to-day,
week-to-week,
tick-tock-tick-tock
march
of time
which takes youth and good health,
to inevitable decline
as we watch our lives melt.

Though these days are few,
their peace I embrace.
Beautiful December memories,
a necessary drop in pace.

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