This life..

Unfulfilled for so many

The reflection of automobiles

Like the slowly expanding mercury of a thermometer

Crossed sideways from the tinted sunglasses

Of a large, bearded man on a street corner

Staring blankly off into the distance

The remains of his half-eaten ice cream stick drips slowly

Drop by melting drop

Parachute-less onto his white tennis shoes

A luminous sphere of lights grows stronger from behind the hilltop

Standing in the shower with plugged ears

Letting the water hit the base of the spine

Then up and finally over the top of the head

The sound of a car passing

But there just ain't no insurance policy for a life wasted

A woman goes deep into the forest

Squats down above the leaves and pine needles

And pees on her fingers

Causing sparks to fly and ricochet

Illuminating the shadows stowed in the heart

The ones we secretly prize but never admit to

Not even to ourselves

That special moment

When we set aside our indulgences and excesses

It's then and only then

Life's mysterious, and seemingly unconnected coincidences

Begin to take shape in a meaningful way