A Quiet World by Jeffrey Daniels

"I only used fifty-nine today. I saved the rest for you."

July ushers in the last leg of summer before the cold winter sets in the Northern Hemisphere. There is so much that is going on around the globe. During times like these, I struggle to pen down the thoughts running in my mind. Should I share the short and glorious lives of the blue damselflies that have filled the streams and ponds in the nearby woods? Should I write about revoked rights in a country where I don't live, but whose impact might slowly trickle down elsewhere? Or is the pain of an adult friendship fallout avoidable? The cure for this never-ending faucet of thoughts is perhaps a moment of stillness.

The poem for this week might be the antidote all of us need. It is a beautiful and grounding poem by Jeffrey McDaniel. He is an American poet with five published poetry books. This poem is one of his best and is quite popularly shared.

The Quiet World 

In an effort to get people to look
into each other’s eyes more,
and also to appease the mutes,
the government has decided
to allot each person exactly one hundred   
and sixty-seven words, per day.

When the phone rings, I put it to my ear   
without saying hello. In the restaurant   
I point at chicken noodle soup.
I am adjusting well to the new way.

Late at night, I call my long distance lover,   
proudly say I only used fifty-nine today.   
I saved the rest for you.

When she doesn’t respond,
I know she’s used up all her words,   
so I slowly whisper I love you
thirty-two and a third times.
After that, we just sit on the line   
and listen to each other breathe.

So until next time, I hope we use our words laced with love and grace for people and reasons that bless our lives with meaning.