The first full day back at work this week.

I feel like I should be all caught up

but instead the opposite is true.

I’m so behind I’m starting to lap myself.

The smoke outside was so thick

from the fires in BC

that it looked like fog,

altering reality to a version eerily the same

as movies that take place

after the world has ended,

And yet,

The world clicked past,

picking up speed until I rolled up to five pm,

Panting as though I’d run a race

and ready for food and bed,

in no particular order.

Then I paused,

seeing the most striking artwork for a cover

I felt the moment

wrap me in silence,

calm finally descending

on the panic of my day.

Tomorrow I will regroup.

I will catch up and forge ahead

with the ever growing to-do list

and climb new

and more exciting mountains.

But tonight I’ll stare at my new cover

and eat ice cream,

content with my version of relaxation.

Until tomorrow.