Eighty

Envision a world

where towns grow smaller and

people fewer.

Leftover tools from an anxious age are

abandoned,

left to rot in the weather

and the wind.

People trade wanderlust

for the good ground underfoot.

People begin to feel death's gravity

again.

In place of excessive mental chatter,

people resort to skillful silence,

needing nothing more.

Envision a time

when people find pleasure in simple food

and clothes.

They find compassion in their bodies,

peace in their homes.

Even though the next town is so near

they can hear each other's dogs and songs,

they are content to grow old and die

without ever having gone to see it.