Boredom

Once upon a time, having nothing to do

Was what everyone wanted— no more.

Now a moment left alone is a moment too long,

The mind can’t sit still and be bored.

Whether with friends, toys, daydreams or screens,

We yearn for distraction from life. 

We sit and eat food, but pay more attention, 

to the lights dancing on a TV. 

Adults judge the youth, but they’re just as bad,

They scroll till their eyes turn to glass.

It’s plain to see, that to sit and just be, 

is a skill that’s been left in the past. 

Stimulation’s become the choice drug of all,

With no age limit or restriction of vice.

We justify indulgence and glorify the dealers,

Pretending its news and advice. 

To judge other’s drama while excusing our own,

Only fuels our isolation and uproots our Home. 

We want distraction from life because we abhor it,

But perhaps it sucks because we ignore it.  

To let go of addiction, first acknowledge the problem

does not exist outside of our mind. 

Boredom’s a phantom, a story made real,

a shadow cast by desire and fear. 

If boredom existed in reality, 

we could consider it a natural occurrence. 

But have you ever seen a bored cat, 

Or a bird that’s restless and worried?

Preposterous.  

To connect with being is to end our addiction,

We’d see the ordinary is brimming with joy. 

Let’s lift up our heads, and look all around us,

to this beautiful thing we call life.