I slowed right down today,
Just slowed right down.
How little we see most of the time!
So I slowed right down.
And saw a fork-tailed kite circle then drift
On a blue highway, until it was no more.
I cracked a sunflower shell between my teeth
And curled the seed out with my tongue,
The taste intense and bitter-sweet.
It hit my palate like a burst of sun.
Today I listened to a stream
Trickle then rush from Extremadura
Into Castilla y León.
I heard the hollow clunk of cow bells
Jangle like Tibetan wind chimes.
I smelled a cistus bush today.
It reeked of incense. And I sniffed
The fragrant, bitter scent of thyme,
The aromatic tang of eucalyptus.
Today I felt a mat
Of soft, green moss under my hand,
And, underfoot, crunched oak leaves, crisp and brown,
And spiky chestnut husks, like tiny hedgehogs.
I fingered the jagged edge of stones,
Felt the smooth roundedness of rock.
I slowed right down today.
I slowed right down.
How blind we are to what is happening!
How quickly we walk on!
But, for today,
I slowed, I slowed right down.
I slowed.
I slowed.
I slowed time down.
I slowed myself
Right
Down
I could feel it, the slowing down, the sharpening of the senses, the resurgence of life that comes with s-l-o-w-i-n-g dooowwwnnnn.
ReplyDelete"How blind we are to what is happening!
ReplyDeleteHow quickly we walk on!"
We sense still less when we are not travelling under our own steam. Even then, it's necessary to stop and "smell the flowers".
...Tramp
Stopping to smell the flowers is, well, mandatory. If one wants a rich and meaningful life.
ReplyDelete