Can I be okay with the silence?

I see everyone around me on their phone 
even in the water, they wear it around their neck 
like a noose or a dog leash 

I don’t know 
but I don’t want to live attached to some appendage 
and when it is gone you feel a loss 

you don’t know how to fill in the moments, 
the awkward silence 
a stranger to your own mind 

Inundated with opinions, media, news 
It’s hard to separate the independent voice from the noise
Is there any original thought or has there never been? 

We document our moments 
Hosts of our own lives 
oversharing and blaring 
adding more to the stream of information

I want a reprieve 
a break in the noise 
to be okay in the void that remains

Then I get to decide what to put there: 
a comfortable armchair, pillows, 
a small table for cookies and tea 
a blanket and nook for my book

Here I have room to breathe 

we are wireless beings, 
not meant to be tethered 

we have freedom in the space that remains 
to explore, to listen

We don’t have to post and add to find meaning 

the chaos and noise will always be there 
when we pick up our device

I am the conductor of my life 
and today I choose the breeze, 
the sunshine, even when it is smoky 

I do not have to escape from the present moment 
there is nowhere to go 
Just here and now is all we got

I am grateful for this breath, 
this strong heart that loves and holds
A freedom beats in my chest