“I don’t know why it is we are in such a hurry to get up when we fall down.”   
Max Eastman, The Enjoyment of Laughter

Just lie there.

Maybe fall asleep
or roll around a bit,
hunker down under the radar,
let gravity hold you
in its arms, let the grass or floor
or sidewalk kiss your cheek.

Standing up is overrated.

As a kid, I remember lying on my back, staring
for hours at clouds tumbling in slow motion
against blue, seeing shapes like dragons or sheep,
sailboats or sharks or bearded faces.

The body needs to rest, to slow down
and wallow in what little time it has.
I’ll enjoy the view from down here and forget
about everything in this world I won’t be able

to keep.

– David James

Author’s Note: When I worked full-time, I developed a habit of using epigrams as starting points for poems; I could explain or argue or improvise or speculate on them because I had less time to sit around and contemplate the world. Epigrams provided some ready-made material that I could use to, hopefully, create a poem. It’s a productive habit that I continue to use today. Try it!