Immensely Vast

. Looking on this expanse that encircles me, closing in during open hours, unlocking doors I can’t seem to walk through Stairways of rotted, termite eaten steps each with my name painted on them, creaking underfoot, losing to the weight of long lines at self serve counters wrapping around as if nothing is free but here for some reason it is And I stand right in the middle alone in this ocean of faces, polo shirts and penny loafers staring at cell phone screens, calling someone, talking with their hands, hands free? Paying it forward, coffee for the next guy in line, but not me For I am just here, anywhere, somewhere like this, a thing plopped down, fallen from the sky, splattering on the earth, consumed by the soil, muddied footprints and all trudging through the wilderness, carving a path of existence breaking branches and scattering bread crumbs Still I am me, standing tall among the taller, enjoying the shade, sipping lemonade and eating apple dumplings, pushing, not pulling forward, dreaming, (of course) regardless of tire tracks and scars or pointed fingers, Pounding the pavement, laying a foundation, driven beyond Parking lot base, asphalt themed destinations, a checkerboard of last rites and dead batteries, yellow lines on the horizon, handicapped up front Looking out over the valley, watching the world go by, admiring the beauty, loving life, rejoicing in the fact that it is all so immensely vast . . . as am I