Sunglasses

I woke up this morning with the sunlight pouring in the window

The birds sing their songs, the new day has begun

The steam rises from the shower floor, and the day’s plans come rushing to my mind

Brush teeth, stare into the mirror

On the table sits this morning’s fare

A solitary banana

Is it smiling or frowning?

What kind of day will this be?

The checkbook is balanced, empty again

Bills are due next week, just trying to survive until then

More calls from places unknown

Red numbers remind me of what is missing

Messages that need hearing, texts that need response

If I ignore them, they’ll go away.

As I head out the door, I put on my sunglasses

Too many things to see, blinding realities,

it’s easier to filter them out, to not see them for what they are

But isn’t that what we do when we don’t want to face our responsibilities?

We put on our sunglasses, keep the light from our eyes

Living in a state of darkness, perpetually shielding ourselves from the outside

We don’t want to see it, the way things really are

So, we put on our sunglasses, and hope it will all just go away