Liam Barr

Virtue always sounds a bit too big for us.
Like it belongs to people with statues.

The old meaning is plainer.
Being good at being a person.

The Stoics split it into four.
Wisdom. Justice. Courage. Self-control.

We use all four most mornings.
A pause before we reply.
The last slice split evenly.
The awkward thing said kindly.
An app closed before the scrolling starts.

Too small for a statue.
The right size for a morning.

Lately, my mornings have aligned.
I reach the tram stop just as one arrives.

I've never checked the timetable.
I haven't needed to.
The trams are frequent but it still feels like synchronicity.

This morning didn't seem so aligned.
I watched as the tram pulled away.

Oh well. Can't always align.

I kept walking at my usual pace.
A missed tram only sours the day if I let it.

Then I noticed another right behind it.

We reached the stop at the same time.
I caught myself grinning at the universe's joke.

The first tram was the setup.
The punchline was a minute behind.

We wait all year for the holiday.
Sometimes even more.
Once we land, we'll switch off.

Then we're there.
For one afternoon we relax.

On the second morning some cloud rolls in.
We check the forecast.
Then the emails. Just to be sure.
By lunch we're back online.

It's the same thing we do back home.
Only now there's a nicer view to lose.

A holiday only takes whoever turns up.
Only we decide who that'll be.