the whole world

a minuscule bit of ordinary
becomes the whole world 
early today when, at my desk,
i reach for the faux-diamond 
stud earring sitting beside me,
and absentmindedly press it to my ear,
aiming to poke it in place
as i open email in my inbox.

nope, not going in.
my attention
wakes up.
i try again, and then again,
nope.
finally get it in place
only to discover i’ve dropped
its back without knowing.

having a life of its own, as it does,
it disappears. it simply and soundlessly
vanishes. and so, this too
in my morning—in addition
to walking and food prep
and hot shower—this little mystery.
this call to presence, all focus
on the search.

behind my laptop? on my desk?
no and no. in my chair? no
again. i shift to the floor,
move my hand
lightly over pine planks,
greet a teeny tiny spider
going about its morning routine.
no earring-back.

i continue the handsweep through dust
over to the base
of the bookshelf. hello, second tiny
spider, hello, third.
these companions in my study
enchant me, newfound buddies
accommodating my interruption
without apparent pique.

the seeming vaporization
of my earring-back
entertains and delights,
like a magic show:
here one moment, now gone,
absent without leave.
i laugh in wonder and puzzlement.
it is so thoroughly nowhere.

i shake out the folds
of my zip-up hoodie,
brush and shake out
the folds of my skirt,
accept the vanishing act,
head for the dresser drawer
where i keep a collection
of stand-by earring pieces,

tipping my crossbody phone bag
upside down en route for good measure.
the silver hide-and-seek back of my earring
leaps to the carpet, now front and center.

this ordinary-becomes-whole-world
pours sacred into my day—
lucky me, to wake up twice
this morning before breakfast.

—dotty seiter

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Notes about poem and art:
• Pure and simple, the story held in “the whold world” was a generous gift of attention.
• Never Been was originally a sketch made as part of the color tiles project I completed over the course of the summer. I rediscovered the sketch and developed it into a completed piece recently, connecting the art to a waiting envelope and then the envelope to a waiting pocket in the Joy Journal MaryAnn Shupe created for me several months ago.