David Budbill

TOO BUSY

Have ambition and ego ruined my life?
Where have my easy days gone?
If only I had a monk friend to wander off
into the mountains to visit. If only I were
so idle I had time to visit him. If only we
could while away the day drinking tea,
playing flutes, and talking. If only, as the
moon rose, my friend could point the way
home through the dark mountains with
the night sky's lantern to light the way.
If only I were happy with only that.

(from The Sun, March 2004)

David Budbill is the author of six collections of poems, eight plays, a novel, a collection of short stories, a picture book for children, dozens of essays, introductions, speeches and book reviews, the libretto for an opera and is a performance poet on two CDs. "Too Busy" will appear in his new book, While We Still Have Feet, which will be published by Copper Canyon Press in 2005. His website is: www.davidbudbill.com