Thoughts Upon the Treadmill @ 6:30am

There is a disconnect
between daily living
and the news cycle
running circles around
"everyday" people on CNN
and the nightly news:
myopia trained on
sensationalized grief.

My grandmother watched
the local 6 o'clock
with fear encircling
her chest - convinced
each tragedy would
find her door,
push it open,
and crush her breath.

I find myself prone to
similar imaginings:
caught in a cycle of
death scenes, muggings,
and home invasions,
wondering what the lives
of others looked like
before their tragedies.

And in that state of
continuous vigilance,
I miss the commonplace
miracles life provides:
hippos and penguins,
ice cream and sprinklers,
best friends, a child's smile,
and simple, unsensational quiet.