Finding Ourselves

It would be so easy if we could find ourselves
at the bottom of a coffee cup
when we take our last sip,
or in the garden
as we overturn the fertile ground,
or maybe in the milky soap bubbles
left in the sink after we wash our hands.
It would be a relief
to discover ourselves in such a simple way.
To stumble on a crack in the sidewalk,
glance down at our feet
and suddenly see so clearly
what we’d been missing all along.

ATW

So where is she? That little girl in the red sneakers and the braids, the one with the little knowing smile, taking her sister for a ride? Where did she think she was going? What far-away places was she dreaming of? Did she already know that there was a whole world out there, waiting for her? Did she sense where time and circumstances would take her? Did she feel afraid of the ways the world could hurt her or did she only feel brave and courageous and ready to take on whatever came her way?

I wish I could remember what it felt like to be me that day, on my tricycle, ready to roll in the hot sun. Ready to meet life's challenges and triumphs. I wish I could stop that little girl for a minute and hug her and say, "It will all be okay. No matter what. It will all be okay."

Maybe I can.

Into a clearing

We are all here
doing the same thing,
fumbling.
Searching high and low
for the right words;
a story that will make sense.

Shouldn’t there be a code?
A secret handshake,
like the sorority girls use
to gain entrance to the locked door.
Where is the map
with the X that marks the spot?
Where is the breadcrumb trail
left for us to follow?

Or are we simply meant
to stumble
and tremble
and stray
until some elusive moment
when we emerge into a clearing-
the sun finally warming our shoulders?

ATW, 2009