Don't Panic, Enjoy
Joey Healey read "Don't Panic, Enjoy" on Sunday, August 24th at the Rudolf Steiner Bookstore
Don’t Panic
let fears turn soft as sea foam
til lost ones feel near, don’t panic.
Keep your head high, remember that beyond skyscrapers is sky
draw breath cold-in and warm-out
bound the concrete with blues til your shoes wear out,
but don’t panic.
Drain away and soak your hands to sand.
Make plans with the breeze, play freeze tag with the trees, run around and then stand. Be still, and don’t panic.
Watch your thoughts babble on by, let guard dogs and Mr. know it alls multiply, and feel a little sour.
But trust that hour to hour, day to day, there’s more to say and less to explain.
So I say don’t panic.
But heir on the side of caution if you must —
surf the small waves, scream and jump but not out of airplanes, and skip roulette with your life savings, but find the luck of the draw in the small things.
Maybe your neighbor said hi back, or your chihuahua didn’t attack,
maybe Spotify DJ knew what to play, or you just feel okay today.
Whatever it may be, don’t panic and you’ll see.
You’ll see, maybe not with utmost clarity, but enough to lock eyes and know you’re loved for free.
There’s love from foot to grass, wind to sail, and dog to tail.
Believing is seeing, like Santa Claus or some old fairytale, except it’s real.
What’s real is what panic reveals — that panic itself if love concealed.
Panic hides messages of love and loss that must be unsealed.
So before I go, and the show goes on, I have one last message that I must press on: it goes like this.
Don’t panic — no more.
Don’t panic like it’s a chore.
Don’t panic, it’ll be okay.
Don’t panic, enjoy.
Joey is a visual artist from New York City. He recently opened his first painting show “Don’t Panic, Enjoy” at the Rudolf Steiner Bookstore. Besides creating, he enjoys museums, trees, and bolognese.