The church bells are more than tolling the hour

They’ve begun praising the boundless blue sky

In notes that drift and rise like balloons off to seek adventure

And I don’t want to escape this moment

So I settle myself into the grassy knoll

And let the sun run my flesh

As the chiming raises my thoughts to Parrish

And how his hands must have itched on a day saturated with the brilliancy of color

His mind a daydream of illustrations

And then my thoughts redirect to how multidimensional life is

So I think I’ll just stay a bit

Taking it all in

The strangers in familiar conversation

Dogs leashed for a relieving stroll

Car horns and bus accelerations weaving traffic patterns

Recess ringing freedom's laughter 

Alive

The city’s alive

We're all alive and following the order of our day

And yes there is someone out there in this breath

Exhaling their last

And another their first

And I'm awed by my insignificance in the grand

And humbled by my presence in the now

And it's just noon

On a Wednesday

Marveling at the miraculous art of everyday life 

E.A. O'Connell