my pencil grew dull
so i paused
to pocketknife chisel
a sharper graphite point
as i finished this delicate task
i sensed a motion nearby
and glancing quickly about
i saw a chipmunk!
quick, jerky movements
fast as micro teleports
all furry stripes and bright eyes
head and tail twitching inquisitively
and i wished i had some food to share
but alas
all i had was cheap red wine
in a murky green bottle
with a screw top cap
as i took another sip
the chipmunk blinked in a flash
to a stump by the mystery backpack
the backpack!!
our curiosity ached with a dark longing to know
the chipmunk scolded me, urged me on;
“let’s see what’s in the backpack, human!”

and it came to pass in those days
that i was on the deserted beach again
chain smoking
wine swilling
worshipping with the devil’s salad

and i was bored, bored
even as i was glad for the luxury of boredom
for there was nothing new under the sun

still the geese honking
still the sullen highway roar
still the tinkling of the brook
still the crashing of waves upon the shore

“why is it?” i wondered
that surely i craved something more
perhaps this craving was the reason
no answer was in store

as i glided
along the sandy beach
curiously light over the slippery rocks
dancing, bounding
hovering through the wave splashed air
i noticed a backpack
abandoned in the long grasses
i passed it by
but for hours afterward
curiosity nibbled at my mind
until i reluctantly hiked back
to take a closer look
at something new under the sun

two bright points
as eyes did peer
glowing within the coals of my campfire
and i asked of them
for something new under the sun

and as i waited
for a message
from those fiery folk
i perceived:

the trickle of a brook splashing down the rocks
the honking of the geese protecting their young
the hissing of the train a’waiting
the sullen roar of highway traffic
the crashing waves upon the shore
the tolling of church bells in distant village
the cheers of the people on their balconies
the sirens of emergency responders

the glowing of those fiery coals
shifted from white to yellow to orange to red
deepening in the gathering darkness
as sunset faded behind the jagged mountain peaks
a waning sliver of moon
set in the stary wash of pleiades
dogs howling in the distance
a child asking her parents why

and there was nothing new under the sun
as time spun one more circle
and it was all stunning perfection
exactly the way that it was

i got some water from the lake
and splashed it upon the remnants of the fire
fading within the cooling stone portal
steam sizzling into the evening sky
flames giving up the ghost
i took my last sip of wine
tied up my boots
and staggered back into town

here is some graffiti art i noticed
as i aimlessly wandered back alleys today

it says:

“i can’t drown my demons
they know how to SWIM”