When I imagine
how his shoulders would feel beneath her hands
how his arms would flex beneath the cotton
the pressure his hand would apply to her hips
as he leads her across the dance floor,
I remember how you led me.
the mirror
I feel
whole
peaceful
beautiful
myself
until I look in the mirror.
the heat and the coolness
If I stand here,
still enough for long enough
and breathe,
I can feel the heat of the sun
penetrating my skin
warming me from the inside out,
I can feel the coolness
of the soft wind brushing
and sliding over me,
I can feel the solid, firm ground
unwavering beneath my feet.
I feel the heat and the coolness
at the same time,
inside and outside
my body.
Open my eyes to be blinded
by the sun
dancing across the water
and a new gust of wind
tousling my hair.
Heartbreakingly beautiful.
chance to be free
See what happens
when you open the door
let your thoughts fly out
and share them?
There’s a chance of being hurt
but more,
a chance to be free.
brave enough
Let me be vulnerable
and brave
enough
to own fully all that I am
no matter
how similar
or different
I am, compared to you.
weight of concrete
Weights of concrete blocks
attached to my ankles
keep me here.
If I tried to walk
they would break through the floor
pulling me down storeys,
shattering bones
to further impede me from moving
away to anywhere but here.
Gravity pulls my head
down to my ankles
where the concrete absorbs it all
full knowing of its power.
I sacrifice my mind
for my bones,
staying here under the weight of
where it wants me.
In the dense cement,
no room to breathe,
I try to sleep.
At least, maybe then,
I can feel weightless
if just for a moment.
the grass and the dirt
Threading the blades of grass
between my fingers
and toes
picking up small particles of dirt
from the soil beneath
reconnects me to the Earth
grounding
calming me back to centre.
This, right here,
is all I have.
Everything I see and think in my mind
are not here with me.
Only the grass and the dirt
are.
river current
You were the river
eroding shorelines
constantly flowing.
I believed
I could stand on the sandbar
in the middle
and you wouldn’t hurt me.
You swept me up
and into the current
proving how helpless
I was all along.
hustle and bustle
The trees, the air, the sky
may be still,
but listen to the
hustle and bustle of community
living within and between.
Contrast of busyness and stillness
around
and within us.
electrifying joy
I held on to you for years
believing that if I did not,
the electrifying joy you brought to me
would leave with you
and leave me dark and dull.
For years
I believed you were
my source of joy.
It wasn’t until you faded away
and at last I cut the rope
I found a similar joy
in someone else.
For always,
you will be the one
who first brought to me that electrifying joy,
but not the only.
Dawning Words 