Searching for a spiritual discipline?
Try getting lost:
visit a strange city,
leave your baggage at your hotel and start walking.
Drift left, veer right,
turn toward what distracts you.
Nod at people you pass;
imagine their lives–
as rich and confusing as your own.
Say, "Hey, pup!" to curious dogs behind fences.
Wander in and out of neighborhood shops,
    in and out of sprinkled bits of conversations,
    in and out of fragments of stories.

When dusk begins to settle,
try to find your way back,
and if you never do,
what have you lost?

Text, image and audio © 2011 by Dirk deVries. All rights reserved. 

To listen to this poem, Download Try Getting Lost