A Better Vocabulary

A Better Vocabulary

(“Now no discipline seems to be joyful at the time, but grievous. Yet afterward it yields the peaceful fruit of righteousness in those who have been trained by it.” Hebrews 12:11)

I hear from somewhere beyond the hills,
there is revolution in the air. There is movement
that turns the breeze away from nascent factories
to cedars spreading their aroma across the valley.

I found myself hiding behind the window
wondering if anyone
could see me at all.

I hear there is a renovation on the beach,
a multi-level casino, or maybe a resort. It
could bring in millions and employ locals for
a few years.

I don’t know if it is true; I find myself doubting
my purest thoughts. Sandy oceans sometimes pull
me out to sea. I’ll swim parallel to the shore to
find my way home.

I hear there is repeat performance in the park,
a group of friends who learned a few songs together.
They hadn’t spoken to each other in years until one asked
“Do you know this tune?”

I think it is true. They invited me to play, though
I had to learn the music for the first time. I had to
play the lead guitar on my keyboard sounding like a
Hammond B3.

I fear from somewhere in my past,
there is a reunion planned like rain. The last time we
met the words were hot, the words were iron, the words were
hidden beneath un-sunny dispositions. I don’t know why
it needs to be this way.

But I would attend. I can constrain the polyrhythms
for a day. I can coat the syllables with intentional goodness,
I can refrain from rehearsing our old ambitions.
You’ve hit the rocks, I’ve hit bottom. We both know
a better vocabulary by now.