the best ways to waste time

always involve something to chew on –
a pen cap, a thumbnail, a stray plastic toy.
they call it ruminating.

and the best ways to waste time
take no effort, no planning.
we stumble into them gracefully,
accidentally, like tripping over
river rock and landing in a nap.

weather, naturally, is never a factor.
i can dither and dawdle on an
icy december morning as easily
as an august afternoon laced with sun.
what really matters is the way
the pen slips into my fingers.

company, too, is surprisingly secondary.
yes, nothing fills an hour like
a good friend and idle chatter,
but let’s sing amen for an hour unfilled.

because the best ways to waste time
require nothing more than a deadline,
something urgent, a tight voice warning
i told you so.

after all, how you’ll never know that
water is sweet until the rivers run dry.