Miss Helen dipping into the chaotic fun of life. (Photo by: Richard Eager)
Perfection 9/21/13
Alone
In the dining hall
Sits Miss Helen.
Swallowed by the emptiness
She sits by herself
Preoccupied
Arranging and rearranging
The knives, forks, and spoons…
She lines them up
This way and that
Looking for order
Seeking meaning
Never satisfied
She sits alone
Preoccupied
Determined
She strives for perfection.
I appear to Miss Helen
In angelic form
White hat
Red shirt
Shorts and sneakers.
She looks up
Smiles in greeting
Knowing she knows me
Not who I am
But what I am
She tells me I look good
Secretly, I agree.
I ask her to go with me
Into the garden
Where we will count the birds
As they come and go
And we can listen and dance
In the shade of the crepe myrtle.
Helen worries
If it is ok to leave …
To leave her project undone
To the leave the world
In a state of imperfection
Unfinished
In disarray.
She asks if it is ok
And she trusts when I say
It’s ok …
It’s ok Miss Helen
To let the world be
In its state of imperfection
And that’s enough for her
To let it go.
In the garden of the Chateau
In the shade of the crepe myrtle
We settle into the right spot
From which to survey the world …
A scaled down world
Of birds and flowers,
Of fountain and sky
And a slight breeze to set it all in motion
We settle down to listen …
To listen and dance our dance
And join the show.
______
© Reece Burka 2/1/2019
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