Meanwhile, the world became
a many-headed monster,
with snakes for hair
and eyes you better avoid
or you’ll be turned into stone.

William James said wisdom
is knowing what to ignore. He meant
the trivial, but today I’m thinking
it’s the eyes of the Gorgon. How many
days in a row can you be appalled
without hardening?

I don’t turn on the news as I drive
to the doctor for my Annual Wellness Visit.
Do I need to hear about another bombing
of a hospital? The tyrant’s twisted face
already mocks my attempts at mindfulness.

Calm down says a stalwart maple tree
standing beside the road as I drive by.
The doctor says my blood work looks okay
and I’m able to recall the memory test words
table, cat, banana. This makes me feel so good
I decide not to ask her if there’s something
I can take for dread.

I walk from her office to the car,
take a few deep breaths, banish my guilt
at having better health care than most,
and drive home to tell Mieke
that apparently I’m well.