On Vacuums and Pennies

On Vacuums and Pennies

On purpose,

I often vacuum

Too close

To things

That could get caught

In the brushes.

It is not for laziness

But

For the love

Of seeing

What will Happen Next.

(Ah, the Sacred Next)

For instance…

I dive headfirst

Into relationships that are improbable

Just because I love her

Now.

I hike miles thorough forests

Too late into the evening

Until it is too late to get home in the light

Because I want to squeeze

More and more

And more

And more

Into the day.

I talk to addicts in dark alleys

I occasionally shoplift

I eat pills that are unknown to me

I start careers that are foreign to me

I dive into new religions that scar me

I push and push

and push

and push

because I find

That only at the edge of the known

Life resides

And God

Is in there

Somewhere.

So the penny that sticks up

From the plastic housing

Of my vacuum

Is my trophy-

It illustrates the results of my search:

A clean floor

And a damaged vacuum

That still works.

--Eric Marley

January 2012