Six green chairs
Six chairs sitting on the wet green lawn
Always makes me feel interested, even hopeful
That people are coming, that a call has been made
And so the seats were prepared
For the arrival of the six
I never know if they will arrive together as a group
And each appear in front of their chair while waiting
Patiently, even with a little nerves, for the other to settle down
Because the chairs are all equal, equally comfortable
Identically constructed Adirondack chairs, each in deep hunter green
And all face to face on a central green oval
Of lawn, a kind of carpet between and in front of them
Thus, when these advisers or visitors or
Whoever they are, every time we speak
Everyone can easily understand what the other said
That is, the spacing between the chairs is such
You might even call it intimate
Although no contact is allowed
The goal being to promote for me a kind of
Neutral thinking and advice, constant advice
The kind that I need right now here on the porch
Where I review the arrangements …
Now if they can sit on my six green chairs separately
Appearing one by one, as I think it will,
Anyone can sit anywhere, because as I pointed out
All the chairs look exactly the same on the green lawn
I’m not sure why it’s so important
That the chairs are the same, for clearly
I don’t want all six arrivals to be the same
Being cut from the same mold, saying the same old things
I actually need them to get six different points of view
About my life, the choices that I will make today
And in the days to come that I will love
And that I will run away, who helps, who ignores
Even if I live or die, a choice, if you think about it,
Who is operational at the biomechanical level
From second to second, from moment to moment, well, of course
So much is at stake, so much is to discuss
A diversity of points of view seems critical to me
If an approach, consensus or even useful
Advice or guidelines will be forthcoming.
Once I had seven chairs together
But one collapsed, the one now in the shed
But that’s okay, an odd number was never needed
Like a vote was never meant to be taken
And the six seem right to me, actually quite perfect
Six chairs, possibly like the ones originally used
For a little rest after each of the six days of creation?
Where a little nap, a nap after the daily efforts
Was taken before the official day of rest, and why not?
Just because we don’t know?
That doesn’t mean it didn’t happen
After all it’s so beautiful here this morning
So bright and fresh, so much to coordinate
That’s why this morning’s rally is so critical
Why the chairs should be installed so
A mishmash of different chairs, an old rocker
Or the one with the broken arms who could be dragged
From the shed, that wouldn’t be good at all
For all the reasons I explained
They would decrease the effort to be made
A mismatched or mismatched choice could
Threaten the hope that their presence brings
And that’s why the six green chairs are sitting
On the wet green lawn this morning
In their circle of patients, waiting, with me.
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