can we just pause for a minute
and stop trying to do it right,
stop trying to look the best,
stop trying to have the right answer?

could we entertain hope instead?

harness compassion
with our laughter and songs,

harness newness
by sitting in the presence
of ancient trees,
listening to the groan of winds,
staring into the deepness
of a soft, low, grey sky?

the right answer is in back rubs,
still-shelved merchandise,
still, clean water.

the right answer is in crunchy apples,
in louis armstrong,
and in adopted tears.

the right answer sometimes sits on pavement,
it clutches angry pillows,
it coughs up bitter sobs.

the right answer looks into eyes,
and breaks guitar strings with
furious strumming.

we look best when we
stir herbs into pots of stew,
bite our lips in concentration
between the pages of thick books.

we look best when we
write out desperate prayers,
when we share sorrow
that is not ours.

to walk barefoot,
to walk slowly,
to walk at dusk,
to eat a raspberry,
to eat a gingerbread cookie,
to eat an apology,
to hold a child,
to hold a crayon,
to hold a heart,

to nuzzle into shared naps on a cold days,
to smell shampoo and squeeze hands,
to savor the echo of whispers over a stone floor,
to open windows,
to water plants,

have we done it right?

-Jordan Walters