Student Publishing Program ::

Christopher Waters

Leave Of Absence

It’s 12:00. Do you know where your mind is?
It’s in tomorrow’s hopes,
In yesterday’s dreams.
It’s leaving its prints on any time,
Any place but here and now.

So I ask again, do you know where your mind is?
It’s roaming the timeline like a nomad,
traveling the world like a drifter.
Maybe it’s on an island beach,
soaking up the imaginary sunshine.

Do we live in the future?
No
Do we live in the past?
No
We Live in the present.

How can anyone’s mind be in two places at once?
How can you do something well
If your mind isn’t even in the same country?
Do you think Da Vinci’s mind went on vacation
When he painted the Mona Lisa?

I look around and see a society intent on escaping,
Taking a leave of absence from the present.
Living their lives to the beat of white headphones,
Letting the TV schedule run their existence.
And for what?

The Present is where we live,
Not the future,
Not the past.
This will never change.

[TABLE OF CONTENTS, LHS CLASS OF 2009 EDITION]