The Pendulum

Eyes flutter open.
The pendulum remains still.
I absorb the ambience around me;
The view from the top of the hill.

Experience. Feel. Comprehend.
The pendulum shifts to the right.

I mimic life’s routine
As the morning comes and goes.
My soul seeks the future;
A matter nobody truly knows.

Plan. Dream. Wonder.
The pendulum pauses, and swings to the left.

In a mere instant
I am lower than low.
There is no outlet to express,
No grasp of a steady flow.

Decompress. Reflect. Breathe.
The pendulum soars to the right; much faster now.

In the midst of a panic
My essence is overcome
By an overwhelming safety
Bringing to life what is numb.

Release. Ease. Carry on.
The pendulum has swayed again.

I am left to myself;
A dangerous state.
My euphoria melts
And hardens into a familiar weight.

Assume. Panic. Collapse.
I cannot see the pendulum.

Just as the blades of a windmill 
Merge into an eternal ring
The pendulum’s motions are blurred.
Inevitable: after the mere first swing.

Suddenly, all goes numb
As the demanding day ends.
The pendulum finally slows
After hours of wondering “when?”

Even as I close my eyes
I cannot pinpoint what I desire to find.
Because I have lost sight of a reality
That exists beyond my mind.

Linger. Persist. Endure.
The pendulum halts.