Exhaustion

“A meaningful silence is always better than meaningless words.”  — Unknown

I slog through this morning

sigh at the visage in my mirror —

all shadowed and baggy-eyed

from a restless night of images.

The world feels tight,

as if I’m wrapped

by a snake squeezing the life

out of me.  It is this weight

of a world losing control,

a disease killing and keeping

us from those we love.

I’m weary of riots, burning,

pulling down of anything 

for the reason of pulling

us all in.  Hear me: Open debate 

and questioning our history

is something I welcome, 

but this has disintegrated

to political exhaustion —

and I am beat.

I need to greet the sunrise

at the water’s edge, rest 

in a meadow hedged in and filled

with green stems and a lushness

of colorful blooms, sleep under 

warm rays as the bees buzz 

overhead, conscious of life 

in harmony, our blessings,

restful, content,

silent.

If you do the same, perhaps

after a deep breath we can begin

those provocative and necessary

discussions on all we must 

attend to as responsible

and conscientious humans.

—C.L. Fisher, June 2020

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