Four blissful days, free of anger,

free of cravings, free of alcohol.

Responsibilities took a back seat

to some light work in the kitchen.

I went for walks. Slowly.

So slowly, one neighbor asked if I’d retired.

Four days for reading and reflection,

each hour like the last.

Free to nap in any pause

from the vigil of observance.

Four days to gaze out windows,

savoring shorebirds,

and the slow reconfiguration

of colorful boat-creatures in the harbor.

Four days to collect opinions,

to thoroughly consider the day’s events.

Four days to note with gratitude

the kindnesses of family and friends.

Four days to pass a kidney stone.

I should do this more often.



John has worked for decades at the intersection of the arts and technology, including stints at ILM, Sony, Adobe and Google. He is a musician, and has also written two screenplays that are ready to garner rejections.