James Moore Poet Narrative

Notes About The Poem

Mind Less

(“July 7 Hot and Blue”, 2024, original encaustic)

I like mowing the arboretum 
Because it’s relaxing
And the reason for that
Is because it’s mindless.

There are other mindless activities
Such as walking on the beach,
Fishing under an open sky,
Or playing with pets and small children.

But mowing the arboretum for me
Is especially mind-less
Because it’s a randomly planted plot of land
Which means it can only be randomly mowed.

Only an acre, still it takes a couple of hours to mow,
And often I begin with dread, because 
I have forgotten how good it feels 
To let my mind wander into mindlessness.

In our hearts we know mindlessness is good for us,
And that’s because being obsessively mindful
Is the same as being a prisoner, or better yet a slave,
Within and to our own mind.

Mindfulness is well and good for a variety of tasks,
I certainly want my surgeon being mindful,
But it’s simply a means to an end, and that end, 
The ultimate space of a free mind, is mind less.

(4/17/26)

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