The Volleyball & the Brain (A Poem)

In the best of times we float on by,

Not remembering,
That the tide is rising.

That all the things we love in life,
Will float away like a drifting branch.

To the waves of strife
The days of life,

The lost years that float on by.

Memories of a childhood friend,
Celery sticks & peanut butter.

My feet dig in to the damp sand as I think,
People are so happy, so free,
Why not me?

Why do I think so seriously of life?
Why can’t I just live?

Not everything has to be right,
Sometimes it’s okay to mess it up,

You’ll figure it out later...
You’ll work it out...

Just live for a minute...
there’s a fine line between intuition and anxiety,
I try to find a balance,
Between living in the now & being smart about the future.

What is life?
What is love?
What is the meaning of happiness, if it’s not a destination?
If now is really all there is...

Children play in the water,
Jump as the waves crash on through.

A girl smiles & laughs as her boyfriend hurls her in the air,
Splashing water all around...
How are they so free?
Not bound by the analytics of life...
Not thinking about yesterday or tomorrow.
Just jumping for joy, peace & love.

A Russian girl sits on the rocks as her grandmother walks into the distance.

Is that all there is?
Just a day at the beach?

Where’s the life?
The all encapsulating excitement that used to consume every fiber of my being!?

God is funny like that,
He’ll watch as you run through this world like a mouse in a maze looking for the cheese,
Only to realize that the cheese is just a distraction & freedom is the goal.

We don’t buy it, we rent it.
Freedom that is.

But love can’t be bought,
It’s created inside each & everyone of us.
When we find someone that we can’t help but feel for,
Smiles, midnight phone conversations,
Country roads & good views,
When you meet a spirit from another life,
A girl that just gets you.
It clicks,
It revives you in a way...

Leaves begin to blow,
Seasons change and people go,
Seagulls flock into the sky as the sun sets over a bunch of teenagers playing volleyball.

Life ain’t that serious Joe,
Don’t worry, you’ll come around.
And just remember, good times are ahead...

-Joseph Rothvogel