I know why the rocks on the road are shiny
Why the colours of the sky are apricot
Pink
and blue
I know why the trees seem alive with extra sparkle this morning
Why do the earthworms wiggle to the surface
And even though it seems inexplicable that they do
It is explainable – it is simply too waterlogged beneath
And even earthworms have to breathe
Though they can’t see the birds that swoop, no doubt they sense their impending doom
Take it on their chinless chins
And surrender
I know why a hawk flutters, holding his position in the air
And why the dog pants by my side, staring into the paddock with such intensity
Because I see the kangaroo too
But I don’t know why you…
Fill in the gaps
Our world is full of lapses in judgement
Lapses in communication
We lack the simple function of looking each other in the eye
Send texts
Post photos
Click like
I can’t even hear the notes of emotion in your voice
So how would I know why….
Fill in the gaps
I could, but I know it would be a mere assumption, a conclusion of hot air that I’m moving around in the space in my head
It means nothing and wasn’t said
I simply filled in the gaps
But I know why the rocks on the road are shiny
…
*because it has rained again. And I was thinking about assumptions and conclusions and delusions as I was walking along this morning.
Humans are not designed to communicate in what has become the norm so quickly. Text messages and social media posts say nothing, innuendo is impolite, and yet it becomes this haze in the mind which seems vaguely true because that is what our mind does – it fills in gaps. It is designed that way.
To have a conversation with someone face to face is to gather more information than we even realise. Body language, and eye contact, these things lend enormous nuance.
To have a conversation by phone, our mind notes inflections in the voice and picks up emotions resonating throughout the tone and pitch. We can even tell when someone is smiling, and there is probably even more that we pick up on that is automatic and not even registered except for an “I just know” sort of feeling.
Then there is text – perhaps an emoji or two to illustrate how someone is feeling. Because hell knows we can’t tell from a bunch of random words that are barely properly punctuated these days. A comma in the appropriate place? What? Ha! Who has time for punctuation and capitals 😏😳🫤
And then there is the social media post. Ah yes, and the response – it’s a world-class lesson in psychological dysfunction that we have all grown inured to, and yet underneath is a sea of quicksand emotion.
But I know why the rocks are shiny; nature never lies – it rained last night. And my overthinking brain relaxes, no gaps to fill. It just is what it is, and my dog does what he does, and so do I.
Which is why it makes me happy.
