Details

[Gerson]

Whoever it is you are, or are trying to be
At whatever coordinate on what could be loosely called destiny, It’s almost certain, or most likely
That you’re making small talk with someone you met randomly.
Who would have guessed that life is just an aggregate of unforeseen details, with no sky spanning arc
Of meaning.
Little bits of business, and overrunning lunch meetings,
Poorly written birthday cards, learning the difference between
Tidying and cleaning.
Finding somewhere to park, opting for light mayonnaise, who’d have thought that’s what the parcel contained.
Each of us gifted a sock full of this rare and shapeless material, time, that can’t be stowed or collected,
Threatened or protected.
Only at the end do we realise the futility
Of the details we assumed there was enough time for
In this presumed infinity.
It can actually be averaged, our days are numbered.
Yet somehow somehow business continues-
Someone somewhere is packaging tuna and cucumber.
In the face of the sheer wonder, the sheer finality,
Sometimes it baffles me
That anything gets done.
You can’t see the beach for grains of sand
If you count them one by one.

[JASON]

reads like a frustrating brainstorming session,
trying to make sense of an everyday humdrum existence...
At the end of the day it isn't really up to us how things turn out.

[miharu]

Man, I really empathize with this poem. Even on a mundane day to day level, it seems like I take for granted that I'll have more minutes later to get done everything on my list...

[rupertpupkin]

Hi. I loved this one. So many wise and wonderful lines to savour. Great job with this. Thank you for sharing it.

[CarolynKleefeld]

Insightfully and creatively composed, with skillful use of language; most wonderful and much enjoyed.

[Theymakeyouwait]

All the random details and small scale things beyond our control can make a huge difference. I’d opt for no mayonnaise because I find it disgusting.

[Josie]

The last four lines were my favorite:
Sometimes it baffles me
That anything gets done.
You can’t see the beach for grains of sand
If you count them one by one.

Your play with words was an additional spark:
whoever..., whatever
somehow somehow, someone, sometimes

And especially for me:
...learning the difference between
tidying and cleaning.