Striking Distance

Today I stopped for coffee, don’t we all
Those of us, at least, who enjoy the taste
It‘s not even merely caffeine’s siren call
Just to sit, think, to savor time to waste

I listen to nearby folk talk and I wonder
How it is that all of us are now right here
Sometimes I make up stories as I ponder
A way to make my life seem more clear

We have always told tales, from the start
To realize, remember what came before
Elders served as our memory, a vital part
Someone marked young to learn the lore

Till writing, reading came, bold inventions
They let us grown and share from far away
I fear we suffer fate’s never seen intentions
Guttenberg, moveable type point the way

Shattered, our community, connection lost
No more history, learned, imparted in verse
We had time for reflection, thought no cost
Never understanding faster becomes worse

Stop, I urge you, wherever you feel at peace
Think, consider life, yours, mine, everyone’s
Our time on Earth such a short-term lease
The more time taken the better our life runs