Reduction

 Reduce it to breaths taken.

Beaten pulses.

Footsteps passed.

Teacups drained.

Each action a klaxon of cause and effect.

Reduce it to sunsets

To tides observed

To unspoken words.

To limitless regrets.

The counting is comfort in cactii spines.

Reduce it to lyrics hummed

To prayers unanswered 

To untaken chances

To feelings numbed

Successfully.

Reduce it to the tangibles

To the concrete 

To the empirical

To anything other than spiritual.

Reduce everything you ever were

Or hoped

Or felt 

Or wanted

to the residue in the bath water

dancing on its way to the sea