Ask Instead

from Out With Lanterns, a mostly daily poetry practice

How does the day get away from me?
As if it were a butterfly I tried to admire
or a lizard zooming by on the path,
I aimed to stop and notice. 
But instead, I stood, head down
on the busy sidewalk corner
digging in my bag, trying to find 
my glasses, phone vibrating madly. 
I fumbled to tap “accept”
as if I realized that might be all
I could do at this point: accept. 
The butterfly is gone and
the lizard well camouflaged,
and I pull the phone to my ear,
say “Hello?”, wait and realize that 
I must ask instead why I still haven’t
learned to slow down, ask what’s here. 

Photo by Ryoji Iwata on Unsplash