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To Live in Time
by Ken Sanes
To live in time
is to be fragmented
into moments.
It is to extend
across a history,
and be divided
into what we know
and do not yet know
about our lives.
To live in
three-dimensional space
is to be divided,
as well,
into the mismatched parts
of our embodied selves.
It is to occupy
a surface
that separates us
from an intrusive world.
To exist as a self
is also to be divided,
inside, and at odds
with those around us,
as we spontaneously
fragment
in our thoughts and reasons.
To live in a city --
yes, even that
divides us
from the order
of untamed nature,
and the mass of humanity
that would impinge
at every turn.
But to repair the self,
with all its imperfections,
and practice love
in some of its guises,
are ways to reach
beyond the divide.
So is handing down
a life
rich with humanity
by raising up this one.
To be still
and in awe
is to know these things
deeply, in a more
complete way.
It is to experience
the mystery
of connection
by division
that we play out every day
in a broken world.
Therefore,
it is good to be guided
by Eros,
who brings us
together,
and joins cities
to gardens.
And it is good to be grateful
for the miracle
of every breath,
before our divided state
gives way
to the final break
of unbroken death.