Surface Tension
(2022 Poetry Month, Day 1)
Out of view,
But so close I can
Feel it.
A thousand-petaled lotus
Unfolds luminescent,
Aquamarine, pearlescent.
It starts from the heart.
It’s in the heart.
It is the heart.
And though I can’t imagine
A future where this all works out,
I can choose to believe in it.
Seven years ago, I learned that April is National Poetry Month. I challenged my friend Phillip Estes to write a poem a day for the month. He challenged me back, saying that we could share them on Facebook. It was the first time I had shared my poetry publicly and I was terrified. I was walking through a major threshold and had no idea.
Over the years, Phillip and I have continued writing and sharing poetry during April. This year, my intuition tells me that I need to have the freedom to write as though no one will ever see it. It feels like there are some tender spots that need tending to, and that I will only truly be able to go as deep as I feel safe.
It seems like I am standing at another threshold. Perhaps we all are, each in our own way and all of us together.
I was talking to Phillip a few days ago and he shared some of what he is working through right now. At one point he said, "I can't imagine a future where this works out, but I can believe in it." I told him that I was going to carry this sentiment with me and I wrote his words on a notecard to keep out on a table. It feels like such a powerful expression of hope in an unfamiliar landscape.
Wishing you the week you need.
With love,
Jennifer