Our orbits, itineraries; the days of our past

   The birds they are chirping
    In part because of you
    With a flap of the wings
    They chirp to stay true

    They know all of your pain
    Knowing naught of your name
    Full of feeling and life
    Hope you feel them the same

    Pull you out of a dream
    A memory in your brain
    Of a better time passed
    Or a moment maintained

    Glancing stare at the mirror
    Run away from disdain
    We are all guilty
    Of indulging in vain

    Soon after the shower
    Then back to the sink
    Nowhere between
    Any reason to think

    The first beep right after
    Or sometimes just before
    Each beep thereafter
    Defiant ever more

    The coffee maker, pickup truck,
    The fireman, your neighbor
    Nothing worth notice
    For those who do labor

    The mailman quotidian
    Ever-present construction
    A nuisance at best
    But always disruption

    Just twist and unwind
    Color outside the lines
    FedEx UPS
    Or an ambulance this time

    Whether churning or chime
    Another attention suck
    Those of us who work
    Can't afford to give a f*ck

    They sneak in from out there
    The beeps are always near
    Hiding gets you nowhere
    They're even part of your gear

    Don't hurry, you'll bind
    Stay true to the task
    They'll keep digging deep
    Though its too much to ask

    Enough to bring doubt
    About what is real
    Or so it would seem
    How one ought to feel

    But ah there's that verb
    I've known to have heard
    That subtlest of chirping
    My neighborhood bird

    One living so free
    A bird once like me
    No angle she cant see
    No person she cant be

    Not a drone to compare
    Nor a tone worth a care
    All in a days work
    Perched up on a tree

    With nowhere to be
    And nothing to do
    Maybe she'll speak
    To the birdie in you

    "Whats real, I tell you,
    Is only whats after
    It's sometimes found
    In moments of laughter

    "A pregnant pause and
    We all fix attuned
    The moment then passes
    Not a moment too soon

    "Our only fear was
    To have taken the chance
    Poised to hold court or
    In chasing romance
   
    "Though sometimes they'll laugh
    In others they'll cry
    It was never real unless
    You thought you could die"

    Our orbits, itineraries
    The days of our past
    The rhythm moves slow
    Despite the pace being fast

    Do as the bird
    Looking up to the sky
    Keep doing whatever
    But think to ask why

    Orbits and itineraries
    Lay out boundaries for you
    Lest you remember
    What that birdie taught you

    The beeps and the sirens
    If you let them will do
    As the bite in their words
    And penetrate through

    Having trekked through your route
    With another day gone
    Its back to the devices
    The ones that stay on

    Wonder why you are bound
    To this empty rhythm so
    Confined by decisions
    All your ducks in a row

    Take a moment to ponder
    Stomach what you don't know
    Their beeps and stern faces
    Could be making you go

    Your orbits, itineraries
    And not just your name
    Will come to define you
    In fortune and fame

    So blazing your trail
    Spread your wings to take flight
    Despite knowing you'll fail
    Trying hard as you might

    Your freedom will lift you
    And make you feel light
    When you hear the dogs bark
    You're doing it right

    Now value this lesson
    In beating the game
    Their faces once hostile
    Have since become tame

    Their beeps will else own you
    And faces do fade
    Stay true and remember
    That bed where you've laid

    Your orbits (where you go)
    And itineraries (what you do)
    They can end up being
    Whatever you want them to

    Go back to that dream
    With your eyes to the sky
    And let your imagination
    Answer your why

    Your eyes will then shimmer
    You might feign a smile
    Go back to that memory
    It had been a while

    Take in whats real
    And let the rest go
    Come morning they'll chirp
    And this time you'll know