The Seemly Ones
In their presence
I have felt like a sloppy dog
circling and slobbering
over-eager
desperate for a scritchy-scratch
or a pat or a word or even
for heaven’s sake
a look of interest—
Because they are the seemly ones.
The put-together ones.
The ones who never allow grief or delight
to carve their smooth faces.
You won’t find them
on their backs
mouths open
rabbit-kicking the air
in an ecstasy of crab grass
or howling
at an unjust moon—
No. Their mouths press into thin lines,
restraining the passion of their marrow,
leashing words that might disturb
the mannered safety of vanilla.
You won’t see them
full-stretch tearing down the meadow
to chase a phantom deer
all windswept
tongues and ears
all unfettered
barking fur-demon
joy—
No. The seemly ones make no mistakes.
Their decisions are based on prudence.
When a car door opens they ask,
Where are we going? How long will it take?
You will never witness
a leap
with the immediate heart of yes
never hear
I’ll go with you
anywhere
I forgive you
anything
I love you
beyond rationality
beyond doubt
beyond bacon—
So I’ve decided:
I’m going to run with the pack,
because unseemly
is exactly what I want to be
Thank you for reading or listening to The Art of Freedom. This post is public so feel free to share it.
I’d love to know what you’re thinking. Let’s chat!
With ya, joyfully unseemly, always <3
Thanks so much for this piece Mary...
I think most people want to be that playful dog in the field without a care...except perhaps thinking about the next faithful act to satisfy a partner, a friend, a close family member...
But it takes courage to act so completely in the moment and in accordance to whatever values define life. It is far easier to wander the path of least resistance.