lenten journal: periphery

2
1298

rush hour was a contradiction
this afternoon—I could see the
stalled cars for what looked like
miles in front of me, so I dove for
the exit and the open spaces.
I saved no time, but I did keep
moving, winding down Durham roads
I rarely travel; my daily world is
small. I would do well to explore the
edges, the in-betweens, to take
the streets less traveled—at least
for me—I was discovering nothing.
Those houses have been there all along,
the cafés, wholesale meats, salons—
I am at the edge of their world,
ten minutes from my front door.

Peace,
Milton

2 COMMENTS

  1. I have been doing some walking in my neighborhood. I’ve lived in the same house for over 30 years, and yet there are streets within my ‘on-foot’ range that I have never traveled. I am enjoying seeing new sights and meeting ‘new’ neighbors.

    I am often surprised by what I encounter. One neighbor has a big red box with a glass door in the front bolted to a large live oak tree next to the street. In it are over a dozen books, apparently an informal lending library. I am tempted to add to the collection.

  2. Wonderful. I would say that you were in fact discovering something. You saw your small world and the one ten minutes from your front door. That sounds pretty amazing to me. Most people never see that we are so close to the rest of creation in all its variables.

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