Amusing

This poem reimagines what it means to be amused.

Rather than describing entertainment or distraction, it returns to the word's deeper relationship with the muse—the forces that awaken imagination, curiosity, and creative longing.

It asks what happens when we stop seeking momentary diversion and instead devote ourselves to the visions that invite us to become more fully alive.

This poem grew out of reflecting on the difference between entertainment and inspiration. They're often treated as though they're the same thing. I don't think they are though.

Entertainment helps us pass the time.

Inspiration changes how we inhabit it.

Looking back, I also realize this poem was written during a period when I was paying close attention to what genuinely made me feel alive.

Not what seemed practical. Not what looked impressive. But what quietly kept calling for my participation.

One of my favorite images is the muse becoming “the skeleton for an embodied reality.” That metaphor still feels true to me.

Every meaningful creation begins as something almost invisible:

• A feeling.
• A possibility.
• A vision that asks to be trusted long before anyone else can see it.

Perhaps that's what the muse really offers us.

Not certainty.

Just enough aliveness to take the next courageous step.