Erratic

Wait.

Slow down a bit.

I’d like to talk.

I can’t quite catch
your plates’ state.
Idaho? Montana?

Yes, I notice you
as you hurtle by.
I observe a great
many things, as
that’s what I do.

Me, I’ve been here
a good long while.
You see me, too,
I know, although
you don’t give me
a second thought.

Pull over, friend,
and maybe you’ll
also take in a few
of the things I do.
Perhaps you will
ease into ancient
ways of feeling.

Come sit with me,
and gaze out over
McNeil Canyon, or
the Columbia River.
Empty your mind
and let it fill with
all that I have ever
observed and felt.

Do you want details
before you commit
to such a radical
break with routine?
Do you want to see
what I see, without
doing the hard work
of perfect stillness?

I cannot make it
that easy for you.
I will not divulge
hard-won wisdom
quite so hastily.

But if you listen
very closely, you
may yet learn.
I have already
shared with you

a precious secret.