As published in Dimensions Magazine - Fall 2018 Edition
It's All Good
Nature has provided me with
Her own celebratory plaque.
It is white and, I believe, quite pure.
It fills my mind,
In a manner of speaking.
I had not previously heard
The mysterious and alliterative term,
“Pre-senile dementia.”
I must admit, it has a certain authoritative ring.
Medical titles usually do,
And this one is quite official sounding.
It tells the story of a slow, crustaceous process,
Sort of like the accretion of silt
At the bend of a river
Where movement is diminished
And small bits of detritus,
No longer carried forward with enough motion,
Begin to drift downward
Until they settle, softly,
At the bottom.
Memory, like the drifting silt,
Becomes inert.
But, it is a slow process.
And I am not yet entirely transformed
From flowing river to fen.
Sometimes I feel frightened
By the future I imagine.
But, really, my fears of what may come
Are quite likely to be forgotten
Once the process is complete.
And, as I write this
I hold tightly to my secret weapon,
My willingness to live now, in this moment,
With its ever-changing kaleidoscope
Of texture, temperature, sound
And every other sense that brings me
The wonderful awareness of living.
David Leek, February 2018
♦
The Feast of Life
Come to the table
Pull up a chair
The feast of life is here.
So many dishes to sample
Some hot, Some cold,
Sour, sweet, and picante’ too.
Don’t be picky.
Try them all.
It’s cheap to dither,
To sniff and poke.
Sit down and begin,
Take a bite!
Don’t nibble!
Fill your mouth.
Enjoy the flavors and textures.
Don’t rush!
Give each moment the
Interest and curiosity
It deserves.
Those moments never recur.
They rise and dispel
Like bubbles in champagne.
And yes, it will go flat someday.
But even then that will be a lesson worth learning.
David Leek, July, 2017
About the Poet: David Leek, a local community member, lives in Seattle, Washington with his beloved wife, Ania.
