Desiderata

What a lovely word from desire The meaningless things we desire pursue desultory or with passion Aimless versus pointed versus committed versus focused versus work versus leisure Dolce fa niente Sometimes it is sweet to do nothing and want nothing I have climbed to the top of a sycamore I can feel the chosen branch sway and bend beneath me I have chosen this tree for the sound of its name like the sibilant hiss of the leaves whispering to each other telling each other the secrets of trees Will I live long enough to renegotiate the secrets of childhood the ready knowledge the certainty without trying without asking There is no one to ask Desiderata I read it in an old book I wasn’t sure what it meant what part of desire or all of it Ah but the sound of it foreign on the palette yet easy I roll it around on my tongue It shapes my mouth with each syllable My lips coming together and parting again It wants to be a song a celebration of hedonism A Tango Montclair, NJ, 2005; Provincetown 2025