14 Comments
User's avatar
James Hart's avatar

Wonderful sentiment, Robert. This is something I try to negotiate with myself over almost daily, for the reasons you pointed out. Experience has its won pace that I think technology can now easily exceed. It’s good to slow down and take a good look around every so often.

(And this is a minor rant but it’s the central problem I have with Ferris Bueller. Good message, but not at all executed because it’d make for poor entertainment. Had he followed his own advice the movie would have been a 90-minute clarinet practice session filmed in real time and he’d have never left his room!)

Expand full comment
Robert Charboneau's avatar

Thank you James. That's a good rant, and might make a good post. His idea of carpe diem is pretty much what you'd expect from a teenager. A bit childish, except that he does, inadvertently, have some meaningful conversations with friends (and contemplates art!)

Expand full comment
Peter Whisenant's avatar

Love the "double-ness" of "mine our attention." I see and hear an explosion!

Expand full comment
Robert Charboneau's avatar

Thanks Peter. Yeah there's a blowing up and a carving out, an extracting and a harvesting.

Expand full comment
Marcus Smith's avatar

Excellent concluding couplet.

Expand full comment
Robert Charboneau's avatar

Thank you Marcus.

Expand full comment
Philip Costea's avatar

Great verses! Did going from quatrains to tercets take nerves? Also, I really hope the more I mine my attention, the more perceptive I get.

Expand full comment
Robert Charboneau's avatar

Thank you Philip. I think I have a good enough grasp of both kinds of stanzas that it felt natural. And I agree, there is value in mining attention. Although I don't think it's an infinite resource, nor can it be continuously extracted.

Expand full comment
Sam Downey-Higgins's avatar

Nicely done!

Expand full comment
Robert Charboneau's avatar

Thank you Sam

Expand full comment
J. Tullius's avatar

Exceptional. One of my favorites so far.

Expand full comment
Robert Charboneau's avatar

Thank you Tullius. I will take that to heart.

Expand full comment
Katerina's avatar

A life story in this one. Thank you.

Expand full comment
Robert Charboneau's avatar

Thank you Katerina.

Expand full comment