So Different from Neglect

I wonder when it settles on a place,

That air of ‘nothing matters much’

One finds about a house and in its grounds,

So different from neglect, neglect without disgrace. 

I wonder if it creeps up gradually

Or if one wakes and finds it there,

That air of ‘nothing matters much’

That fills the space

With gentle, silent sounds.

To whom does it belong?

Does it just emanate

From happy souls who live in sunlit peace?

And can they find the energy to concentrate?

Or does it work the other way about?

And bathe with calming balm until no trace

Of tension or anxiety can touch

The minds of those who dwell within the bounds

Of ‘nothing matters much’.