Harmless Things

Often times I toss and turn in bed
worrying about things that will never happen
listening for the things that creep in the night,
or wondering what is the name of the actress
in that movie I watched ten years ago
when I was twenty-two and dating
Max before he left for Africa.

Dreams are rarely nightmares
but rather absurd meanderings
entering the sub-conscious
with warning signs and mis-directions,
leaving me confused throughout the day.

The evening news fills me with fear
the possibility of a bombing, kidnapping,
tornado, tsunami or hurricane.
Every little rumble is the start of the “big one,”
that final earthquake I’ve heard about for years.

Gossip was always a bother
but now the internet is here with facebook
and twitter causing the gossip mill to churn
with things like cyber-bullying
and private videos going public.

What was once a nuisance
is no longer harmless
causing depression and aggression
for words that should never hurt me.

It is time to get back to a simple way of life
sitting in the front porch, watching the world go by
dreaming about a better life but never taking the steps
to confront the shadows in the dark.

Never testing the water to learn if it is deep,
or climbing into the boat to see if it can float
better to live in dread than to turn up dead.