Obligation in the Grass

The park is calling, an appointment
must be kept
Can't be put off
A call not taken over lunch
Between errands or in the face
of some demand
Emergencies
take precedence
Shove back from the work
Put off the afternoon

Lie in the grass, sun on your face
Eyes closed
Unravelling, all the ravelled
pieces of yourself
Let a thought creep through
All that warmth
Loose thread, picked at
until it falls away
The fabric drops
in piles at your feet

Don't reach to pick them up
They're all well gone
The thread's the thing to follow
Drifting on the mind
as warm as sun and grass
Simple . . . simpler yet
Less is more, the legacy of Mies
and God is in the details
More permanent than buildings
The structure of a thought

Leave it alone and let it run
See where it leads and why
No bird dog's worth a damn
when caged or leashed
But running free, upwind
Nose against the earth of thought
Coveys of understanding
lay hidden in this grass
Huddled, thinking you won't see
Afraid to fly

My book is filled
with obligations in the grass
Time alone to pull at threads
Following the hounds of thought
Yours may be too
There are no better things to do with life
than lie down with it
A lover in the field
that knows your every need
and just wants time