Obvious

Photo: Big Frank Dickinson

The Obvious
by Big Frank Dickinson

There are obvious facts that sit down
Right at your doorstep and cannot be ignored:
The imbalance in conversation with a monologist;
The impermanence of feelings, and the hidden
Secrets that closets yield only when attacked.
Still obvious can delay and that’s exactly what
Is obvious to the patiently observant.
So, in time, always in time, always in the fullness
Of time when the door is opened and the stubborn
Fact doesn’t move, you stumble over it like
A unwanted phone book that is full of numbers
That you not only won’t call, but won’t even look up.
Then sing the song that wasn’t trapped in your head,
But pleases you to remember and awakes hidden
Hallways that take you to rooms that you didn’t know
Existed where you can sit down and finally have the
Conversation that always begins with the words,
“I don’t think you’re going to be surprised to hear this”,
But you, of course, are. It’s obvious, in retrospect,
Always in retrospect and yet it’s welcome,
As welcome as an Indian summer or an early spring bloom.