Pushing the Button

Practice the pause. When in doubt, pause. When angry, pause. When tired, pause. When stressed, pause. And when you pause, pray.” —Toby Mac

~~~~~~~~

A movie runs on.

In a high tower
a facsimile of your open eyes
burns through a celluloid strip of film.

A pinpoint of heat
made a hole -
It burned through perception.

A sentient hand reaches out
from mindfulness,

it punches a large button
set at the back of a seat
in the back row
of a movie theater.

The running-on - stops.

You sit back a spell,
re-light a lamp
you had kicked over
in your hurry to keep ahead.

A spool of cooling reality
unwinds,
forming a jumbled heap
on a cutting room floor.

Once again you recall,
that paused living-space,
that prayer room
you could have entered
at anytime.
Copyright © | Year Posted 2023

Poem

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