Maybe I Need
by Alexander Kretzschmer
My mind isn’t always a pleasant place.
But it is my home.
Sometimes I think of it as an album.
There’s a track, or maybe two,
that I don’t like much.
But I can’t skip them.
They add something to the good songs.
So I take those unpleasant thoughts
and pocket them for later.
But for now,
it’s too much.
I need a distraction.
I tell myself it’s good to disengage.
Everyone does it! Maybe I need
a show, a new hobby, an adventure,
something nostalgic, a takeout meal,
a game, the first two chapters of a book,
a movie, some ice cream,
a night out, a vent session, a night in,
an article to teach me about the Great Salt Lake,
some online shopping, an app to scroll through,
my phone.
Someone once told me a story.
He has a kid. The kid drew a picture
of the family. And the dad was holding a
phone
in his hand
because that’s the kid’s image of him.
Maybe I’m too distracted,
like I think everyone else is.
Maybe I should listen to that track I don’t like
on my mind’s album.
Maybe I should stop drowning out the noise
of thought.
Maybe all I need is
quiet.
Maybe I’ll drown it out anyway.