June 2–8 ❘ Anxiously Engaged

Jun 2

Anxiously Engaged

I’m not going to nag you
to practice the piano.
It’s your choice whether you stagger
over the keyboard or glide.

I shouldn’t have to command you
to hamper your dirty clothes
or order your personal chaos
to within stone’s throw of serenity.

You haven’t earned glory, laud,
or honor by loading the dishwasher,
the bare minimum shared burden
in this unit of Zion society,

but I will thank you for it anyway.
I’ll help you do your homework
and remind you to set your alarms.
I’ll laugh at your rough-draft stories

and applaud impromptu recitals.
I’ll attend every overlong, under-amped
performance you try your hand at.
I might nudge a bit when a neighbor needs

a half-load of topsoil shoveled
on the hottest day of the year,
but you will decide on your own
to make it a quorum service project.

You will be the one to notice a friend
who misses the school bus all week
and, without being told, stop by to visit
with donuts and a comic book.

June 9–15 ❘ It Mattereth Not