“Contrarian Confession”

  

c. 2026 Rod Ice

All rights reserved

(8-26)

 

It came with a slip of the tongue

After answering a call in the afternoon

A query lightly landed in my ear

And predictably, I spoke too soon

I might have paused there to think

More carefully than was the case

But when I had said my piece

There was a glow of red taking place

I did it again

An unintended work of zen

 

My bloodline contact asked about

Health concerns that were on her mind

And instead of giving it a passing nod

I responded rightly, in real time

With an honest retort, a bad decision

It only took a second to regret

That I had confessed my need aloud

And revealed secrets I should protect

I did it again

An unintended work of zen

 

I truly wanted to stay aloof

But my stumble came with a single step

If I had made a silent stand

It would have been better yet

Somehow though, my contact knew

That what I said was not a trick

She sighed and dropped her telephone

I clutched my belly, feeling sick

I did it again

An unintended work of zen

 

Seeking sorrow is not my thing

I need no sympathy to soar

My best days come when clouds arise

And discovery is my reward

But a tangle of shoelaces brings

The sideways fall that I must avoid

And when I hit the ground too hard

It’s an fate that makes me feel annoyed

I did it again

An unintended work of zen

 

Numbness in my mind and heart

A consequence of living long

I’ve been here on this boardwalk path

Feeling weak but staying strong

When my mouth betrays the slog

That I have been upon for years

I turn away to hide the loss

And a shedding of, snakeskin and tears

I did it again

An unintended work of zen

 

Somewhere in the conversation

The message shared was left unheard

I tried to stitch together thoughts

With a gentle cloth of proffered words

But my family friend did not abate

Her question time was bold and brave

I had to conjure a spell of magic

The inquisition left me afraid

I did it again

An unintended work of zen

 

I am a man of age and dreams

Someone who traveled far away

But at the end of every sojourn

There was a similar lump of clay

Unformed and in the sun, exposed

Which seems amazing with this in mind

I went a thousand miles on hope

But landed short of the finish line

I did it again

An unintended work of zen

 

When I heard the gentle wisp

Of a goodbye wish intoned with grace

I knew that my interrogation had ended

An unspoken arrival at a lonely space

I did take heart in being free

No longer under a glaring light

But the darkening dare that was preceded

Held a burden of the lingering night

I did it again

An unintended work of zen

 

No matter that my ruse was ruined

I guessed that the revelation would rot

What I said was no surprise

My senior state, a gift of thought

Every mortal coil unwinds

A promenade into the ashtray

Just as I am, I come before thee

I take my bow, and fade to gray

I did it again

An unintended work of zen

 

Farewell is a final term

A spark of light before the dip

Of a golden orb below the horizon

A blind spot on a sailing ship

That is where I have progressed

While bobbing on the sea, adrift

A buoy that bargained to have its place

In the hollow of a paper clip

I did it again

An unintended work of zen