Justified

From far out in the center of a naked lake
The loon's cry rose. It was the cry of someone who owns very little. — Robert Bly


Justified: battling the paunch, racing
‘gainst the clock, basking in the sun, standing
in the rain, fighting for my sanity,
seeking peace of mind, staying on the path,
looking down the road, holding onto youth,
clinging to the earth, breathing in the air,
catching my breath, seeing the world, facing
my mortality, celebrating God,
heeding a call, needing time, struggling
with reality, dreaming of a day,
taking an account, feeding a desire
to sharpen senses, to revive my soul,
to stop somewhere a dozen miles away
and hear the distant cry of a common loon.

And soon that toil shall end;
Soon shalt thou find a summer home, and rest...

                            — William Cullen Bryant


from Thirty Birds