My attention has drifted awry once again,
Has shifted from matters of weight among men
To things of no import, exceedingly tiny
And so insignificant–Hey! Look! It’s shiny!
I set out to do some magnificent thing,
But what it was? I can’t remember. The sting
Of memory loss in old age will be naught
Compared to the blank Inattention has wrought,
Distraction, and phantasmagorical dreams;
To focus and think is more work than it seems,
So, though I’d meant well and begun my great task,
My progress dried up like a sot’s whiskey flask,
And instead of inventing great stuff, plodding darkly,
I did something else–Hey! Look there! Something sparkly!
Look! Up in the air! It's a bird! It's a plane! Hey, it's my attention flying way off course again!
Art-Colored Glasses 
I love this! This is exactly how my mind works, sometimes too often for my taste!
‘Scuse me? What did you say??? 😉
Did we come from the same womb? You have my undying admiration, dear kindred spirit! xxoo
At the very least, we sat by the same window a lot!! Happy to be in the Mutual Admiration Society with you, my dear!
xoxo
very nice
Given what I’ve read ‘over at your place’, I suspect that your imagination often turned inward and was thoughtfully examining matters of the mind and soul. I wonder, did your teachers ever scold you for daydreaming, when you were actually quite busy solving the problems of the world?
Yes Kathryn, you’re right. I spent a lot of my time as a youth, wondering about life and the way this world is. But my teachers loved me, and I could do no wrong in their eyes. My problems came from other directions. I suffered brutality. And didn’t have a single friend throughout childhood.
I am thankful that your teachers were kind to you–or you might not be here today for us to meet and learn from and to enjoy your writings, from the sound of it. Childhood wounds run especially deep. I hope that your world is infinitely kinder to you now than then, my friend.
Shalom.
Yes, my personal nightmare slowly got better, as I reached adulthood, and since then, my life has gotten better and better as the years have gone by. Today, when I look back, I have a lot to be grateful for, and I try not to dwell on the miseries of childhood. Thank you for your kindness and friendship.
Oh those good ol’ distractions. Your poetry is so relateable and I must say that’s the most amazing quality of your writing. It reaches the places where we’ve all been before. Beautiful!
I think that’s precisely why *your* writing so resonates with us, if often on a darker level: we know the feeling. 🙂
Amazing. Thank you dear Kathryn, with my love, nia
Always happy to share with you, my dear friend!
Blessings,
Kathryn
Oh lord, this is me! Love it, very clever.
Clearly a whole lot of us creative thinkers get our wisdom from staring off “unproductively” into space and seeing what’s out there rather than necessarily focusing on what’s in front of us. 🙂
Did you ever read my ‘About’ page? 🙂
I’m a bit of a human magpie myself…
Prolly was a counterproductive idea to line my office windowsill with the antique glass bottles that are coughed-up by the field next door, huh?
You realize, of course, that you’re saying that to someone who’s sitting facing *two* windows full of pretty bottles. Oh, the trouble we get ourselves into! But we certainly have nice nests!! 🙂
Separated at birth! But isn’t day dreaming, or wandering off course good too? I hope so as I’ve spent most of my life like that. Now where was I …….
As you can see from the notes above, we are both apparently related to a whole *clan* of mental-meanderers! Nearly all of the great things in *my* life, at least, were certainly found on adventures off of my expected or intended path, so I’ll wholeheartedly agree with the excellence of dreaming! It got us where we are today, Sister. 🙂
“Look it’s shiny!” We would probably be far more advanced as a civilization had shiny and sparkly things not been invented. They are proof that Satan dwells among us.
This is yet another wonderful verse, Kathryn, a real joy to read. Thanks for so generously sharing it, your talents, with us.
See, I *told* you the devil had to be attractive to get anything accomplished!
I’m glad you enjoyed the perverse verse. 😉 Guess you won’t be surprised to know that it popped into my head last night when I thought I was starting on a completely different topic for the post!
I love the line “My progress dried up like a sot’s whiskey flask.”
🙂 I’ll drink to that! 😉
A lovely poem that resonates with me, as I am the arch-procrastinator. I hope you get to write the great American novel one day.
Sometimes I like to reassure myself that it’s easier to Do something that went Undone than to Undo something I’ve Done. 😉 If I’m to write a novel, I may have to be locked up in a cell for a goodly while without access to, say, windows opening onto interesting things . . .
Ah, Kathryn you have captured the essence of my life! Now, where was I?
Right here in good company, Ted! Just have a look at all the responses above from our fellow fabulists! 🙂
And what came to my mind? Dug from the movie “Up”. Squirrel!!! This is so true and brought a smile to my face.
Needless to say, Dug is a hero of mine!!!
This is delightful, true, and funny. I love the caption under your paintings.
So glad you enjoyed it! 🙂
I know the feeling. I was going to write the great Australian novel to go with your American one. Still you’ve got about 10 years on me so you still may do it, provided you don’t get distracted by something sparkly. 🙂
I haven’t given up hope . . . just have my doubts, given my history! 😉
Oh those big plans! Now if I can just remember where I put them before the sunset caught my eye and you whispered in my ear.
And though we look forward to and wait avidly for your literary masterpiece, we cannot help but enjoy your ‘distractions and phantasmagorical dreams’ along the way. 😀
Well, thank you, Rama, at least that lets me off the hook for a while! 😀
About two years of complete solitude would do it for me; but, alas, not likely to happen. Must remain satisfied to little musings posted on WordPress to assuage any ambitions for fame and profit. Tee! Hee!
Though if we thought about it, I’m sure we’d find that few of what are already considered great novels brought either fame or profit in their writers’ lifetimes, let alone both! 😉 So here we remain, toiling in the trenches of WP but if I do say so myself, having a high old time of it anyhow! 🙂
No doubt about it…