Allow me to
change your life.
Sit there on that
pile of
kindling and
listen.
Put that phone
away for a second
this will not
take long.
If you are like many
people,
frustration
bedevils you. Things
turn out
differently
than you plan or
hope, or intend,
and this
frustrates you.
Someone stands you
up.
A child disobeys.
A feeling is
not mutual.
You following me?
Frustration is
the product of
mistakenly
considering
the imaginary and
the real
to be the same
so when what you imagine
does not happen
you perceive that as a loss
and ignore
what is
in front of your face.
There is no
should.
The real is
all there is.
Examine it closely.
The next time you
find yourself abandoned
on a street corner,
look around for
the unexpected
treasure. The
nickel on the
sidewalk the pretty
clouds. The Sikh’s
moustache.
Watch for the
adventure
chance brought you there
to have. Watch the
city bustle
as it wakes up,
or puts on its lipstick
to go out.
Or goes to bed.
When a child disobeys:
regard the real child, not
the perfect one you had
imagined.
Put your phone away.
The real child is
more interesting
and richer
than anything you
could make up.
Have awe for the
miraculous, and
compassion,
even that in
yourself.
This moment is more than
what you had hoped for.
It is all there is.
That will be two hundred dollars.
You’re welcome.

Where the worms run deep

And the ghosties sleep

Where the thorns are thick

And the mud is slick

And the wood is stacked so high

Come outside and I’ll tell you what

You whisper in your dreams

When you lie in bed and

I sit real close just inches

from your head

Come outside when the sun goes down

When the wind is cold when

the rain is strong

When it starts to snow

and I’ll tell you what

you want to know.

The day is cold but over quick enough.

There’s enough to hear despite the ringing in your ears: a scratching pen, a passing car, the clicking of a working house, a sigh, coffee beans grinding.

The stretching of a cat.

The air is sweet so come outside for a little while and let the young one sleep.

It was a friendly-looking chap. Friendly enough, at any rate. It put down the poisonous four foot snake it was eating and acknowledged their presence.

Motherf, said the spider. Where’d you come from?

Us? said the first. What about you?

Everyone knows where I came from, said the spider, asshgr.

What is with your unusual manner of speech, inquired the second.

I have rare form of Tourette’s today, which compels me to utter obscenities while rendering me unable to actually get them out. It’ll pass, said the spider.

Snake helps, in fact, so if you don”t mind, said the spider.

The first one and the second one both nodded and gestured, as if to say, please, don’t mind us.

Very fffff, said the spider.

Who was that, said the first one, when they were out of earshot.

It looked like a hobo spider, said the second, a very large one.

Then we are on the right path.