Tuesday, July 27, 2010

vacation & prices to pay


after bucking-up


how ironic that vacation can demand heavy lifting,

take away the drive of work
that can consume our attention with its routines,
that can settle into our openness
and fill our internal spaces with lists & chores & construction,
then exhausted sleep,
take away that fulfilling definition of who we are,
and I, at least, can feel adrift,
guilty for unaimed time,
for giving in to any indulgence,
even if I’ve paid its price of earlier denial,

when the muscles of my body have worked hard,
they can remind me of the prices they’ve paid
with a twitch, a soreness, a cramp in the night,

so, too, do the muscles of my psyche
when I notice what I have neglected, repressed,
while I’ve bucked-up and persevered
and denied to hear the doubting voices within.

by Henry Walker
July 24, ’10

1 comment:

Bill said...

I can relate. But don't forget to enjoy it too!