LIVING

Plastic containers for leftover food 

Placed in precision on the refrigerator shelves. 

Boxed this and boxed that – 

Life in a box.

Clean clothes folded and stacked,

Arranged in drawers – just so. 

These square walls, 

Solid and sealed, 

Protecting me from the elements. 

The furnace runs dry and hot 

My bones crack. 

No draft of fresh air, 

No breeze to sneak in and tease me. 

I long for a touch of the wild – 

Anything to break up the monotony of normal. 

Crouching in the woods

Foraging like an animal

Cooking over a fire

Eating the real things that the earth births. 

Getting dirty and not caring

Wearing the same clothes for a week. 

Exploring places where only the foot can lead, 

Swimming where danger may lurk. 

Living – not just being alive.