The Illusion of a Moving Present

By Salvatore Difalco

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The Illusion of a Moving Present

How did it get so late so soon? Don’t waste time with explanations. Time is not the issue. Time is a feeling and feelings don’t tick. This isn’t to say time is meaningless or that clocks lie. Yesterday hastens away from us. But tomorrow marches toward us. And that is always the case. Let’s not forget this. But when you stop keeping track of it, time becomes something softer, more flexible. So really, it’s never too late or too early. The moon is out, the moon is out. Go with it. The sun rises, so be it. We are talking scenery and lighting. Just do your job, remember your lines, and play your part. Yes, you can stop whenever you want. You can start whenever you want, too. But remember that as the past adds pages to its book, the future recedes. Possibilities decrease. Regrets mount. The gnashing of teeth becomes a default setting. Here we are, trapped in the supercool liquid of the present, looking back wistfully and looking forward with weak knees, but scarcely looking closely at what is at hand. For this exercise, I will sit still, let my thoughts slow down, my breathing deepen. and exist in the world before me as it is at this moment. What do we have, then? Radio Deluxe on the jazz station. Tony Bennett. Lukewarm coffee. The radiator clanking as it does in winter. Distant sirens racing to flood or fire. My fingertips are blue. What does that signify? Poor circulation. Low oxygen to the extremities. They have a pretty name for it: peripheral cyanosis. While often benign, it can indicate serious issues with the lungs and heart. Yesterday I didn’t notice this condition. The sun is rising like a dragon in the east. So be it.        

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Author Bio:

Salvatore Difalco writes from Toronto Canada.