Today

I am the stranger in paradise

absorbing the richness of dirt roads

the mist of distant mountains

shimmering blue

I am the one who holds on

to the shadows

and the light

who looks forward to the evening

when the butter-colored lights flicker

from homes astride hillsides

today I am not

a viewer of statistics and corpses

today I am Robin Williams

standing on a desk

asking to seize the day

from new heights

while I try to drag out each step

walk a little slower

put aside the emails

with seductive number inbox 1s

which still slither 

today

the clock is ticking

but I try not to hear it