Poetry of Issue #8        Page 55

CYCLES

           I see a laundromat and
I think of my childhood, that idea
That you could throw your
clothes into a washer and dryer
           For a few quarters, and
have them clean and warm within
Two hours seemed absolutely
incredible to me. That sense
           Of wonder is still with
me, even as its joy is more subdued.
And what a space where
time slows down! Like sitting by
           The water for hours, being
on a long train trip, the laziness
Of Sundays--things all
existing outside of frenzy. Here, I
           Wait for clothes to be
wash and dried, and there’s nothing
To count but time passing
by with that rotation of a washing
           Machine: some time to
red a book, engage in conversation,
Check phones, but mostly
everyone just has to wait. Thi
           Is my
mono no aware,
my awareness of the all, a time of
Wistfulness of this journey,
like watching cherry blossoms
           Fall--that shared experience,
watching the clothes whirl
Around while thinking
about life, the past and present
           And possible futures,
what I can be, what I will never be
                      Again. And how everything--all
           of it--is constantly changing.

  G. E. Schwartz